An Eternity Among The Stars
by seasidewriter1
Summary: Waking up in the Doctor Who world after a serious car crash, Selene finds herself being invited to travel with the Doctor and his companions. Together they all protect the earth from the dangers it faces as well as saving other worlds and time periods. But as time goes on, how strong will the relationship between the two become? Will they fall in love? starts with 10 *Doctor/OC*
1. Impossible

_Disclaimer: I do NOT own Doctor Who or any of the characters/creatures, I'm just a fan-girl. I only own my OC Selene._

**Foreword: Okay! This is my first Doctor Who fanfiction, which I've been planning out in my head for a while, but I've been scared to write it and post it. But I got over that fear and now I'm posting it! YAY! Okay, so, I hope this isn't sucky, I'm fearing it is and that people are gonna yell at me… so… please, if you review, I'd appreciate support cause I'm terrified this is gonna be horrible. Anway, enough of my pessimism. On to the story! In the words of the Tenth Doctor,**

**Allons-y!**

1. Impossible

_ Today's horrible… Thought Selene as she began driving towards Elephant and Castle at around four thirty. Her shift started in five minutes. She was so going to get fired… she already knew both her jobs were in jeopardy and that she really couldn't screw anything else up. She sighed as she blew a strand of her light brown, wavy hair from her face, her blue eyes staying on the road. Her hair was down and tucked securely behind her ears so she didn't have to raise her hand from the steering wheel. She didn't know why her life had to be so tough. Why it was her, who had a wonderful life up till the last year or so, who had to suffer and be so lonely._

_The mid-day sun glinted off of car windshields and as Selene hummed along to the Rascal Flatts song 'Backwards' she narrowed her eyes so she could still see the road properly. She could only be so safe. As she continued to drive down the road, her quick eyes glanced off to the side to see if the car on the side of the road was going to pull out of the parking spot. When she noticed it wasn't her eyes turned back to face front. That's when she saw the massive semi-truck that suddenly swerved into her lane. She barely had a second to slam on the breaks before she felt her car fly to the side with a massive amount of force. She flew sideways into her door, head smashing into the window. Then her world went black._

_When Selene came to, her eyes slowly fluttered open. She was still in her car. She was slumped over the steering wheel, head resting on it. She felt so much pain. She could barely keep herself coherent. Her head throbbed in all the wrong ways, as did her torso and legs. Her face now wore an array of cuts, with a rather large one that was bleeding pretty badly on her forehead. Her orange-plaid button down shirt was also ripped and her head felt like someone set off an explosion inside of it and her brain didn't want to keep working. Slowly, she felt herself go numb and her eyes shut again._

_The only other thing she remembered was when a group of hands pulled her from her car. And then the voices. They were muffled at first. But once she felt herself placed on something her brain could barely make out the voices._

" _Miss? Miss! Can you hear me? If you can, please respond!" The voice said in a calm but panicked tone. Why on earth would I want to respond? My head hurts so much… " She's not responding! We need to get her to the hospital as quick as possible! I think she's falling into a coma!"_

_Then, as she barely registered being moved on something, the sounds faded and the world stayed black. She felt nothing more._

OOOooOOO

_**England**_

" I thought you'd want to stay a bit longer with your mother." Said the Doctor as he walked down the street with Rose Tyler, his beautiful blond companion. Rose let out a laugh, putting her hands in her pockets.

" I love my mother, I do. And I miss her a lot, but I'm beginning to miss all the excitement again!" Rose responded with a laugh. The Doctor laughed as well, putting his hands into the pockets of his long brown trench coat.

" Got you addicted to it, have I?"

" You did that a _long_ time ago, Doctor." She said with a grin up to him. He grinned back down as they looked back down the barely inhabited sidewalk. There were only a few other people, all wearing muted colored jackets. Rose knew most of their faces, giving them a small wave and smile as they passed, but in the blink of an eye, she noticed something odd. A bright splash of color on a cloudy day. Her arm flew out to stop the Doctor as she pointed to a blur on the curb of the street maybe fifteen feet ahead of them.

" Do you see that?" She asked. The Doctor stared and nodded. Suddenly, in another blink of an eye, the blur was a person. A woman. She wore a bright orange button down plaid shirt. And suddenly, where she stood, she collapsed completely, falling into the street, right where a truck was headed.

" No, no, no!" The Doctor shouted, taking off towards the fallen figure. Rose took off after him, close on his heels. The Doctor reached out and grabbed the woman from the street just as the truck sped past. He fell to the ground, the woman completely limp. Rose knelt down and the two stared down at the woman.

" My God!" Rose said, covering her mouth. The woman on the sidewalk was a horrid mess. Her shirt was ripped up, her face bared a few cuts with a particularly nasty one on her forehead, which had thick trails of blood falling from it, running down the side of her face. " It looks like she was attacked!"

" Yes… question is…" The Doctor muttered staring at her.

" How'd she get here. She just appeared." Rose finished for him. She quickly checked the unconscious woman's pockets for any sort of ID, but none was present. " Can't really take her to a hospital, can we?"

" No. But, we can take her to your apartment, I can treat the cuts on her face. Then, when she wakes up, maybe we can ask her some questions." Replied the Doctor, gently lifting the woman, supporting her head.

" Think she's not… you know… from this planet or something?" Rose asked.

" Anything's possible… we won't know till she wakes up though." He replied.

OOOO

Selene Thomas felt like a bomb had been set off inside her head. It felt like she had been dropped off a hundred foot cliff and survived. Her eyes were shut, and she also felt a stinging feeling on her forehead and cheek. The overall way she currently felt, actually, was just described in one word. Agony. Her muscles ached and burned, her skin, from what she could tell, felt raw, and her neck was stiff. And, back to the explosive feeling in her head, there was throbbing pain pushing against her skull. She tried to shift, unsure of where she actually was… and what had happened. But, as she tried to move, she groaned in pain. How did she get so beat up? Taking a painful deep breath, a memory rushed back to her. The semi truck…

_Oh God no…_ She managed to think, which she was sure was causing her head to hurt more. _I'm in a coma. Oh shit… this isn't good! I mean, I'll loose my apartment and my car… then again… was I really going to be able to keep them? I work two jobs and barely manage to pay for rent and gas…_

Selene had lived in Boston and worked at the restaurant Elephant and Castle as well as the Barnes and Noble in Harvard Square. She had an extremely tiny apartment and a crappy, old, rusty, blue Toyota Corolla. She was right though. She was barely able to pay rent and for the gas to put in her car, and had to stop attending college after the third year. She had just turned twenty-two and had barely any time to hand out with the two friends she had or spend any time with her parents or older sister. The only thing she was usually able to do during her free time was watch Doctor Who, which was her favorite TV show and favorite books to read. She was a tad bit obsessed, but she did relate to the loneliness the Doctor felt, and absolutely loved the Tenth Doctor. And now she was in a coma. _Just what I need…_ She thought again.

She didn't know why she felt so coherent. Shouldn't she not be able to register anything? _What if I'm not actually in a coma…_ She slowly opened her eyes, blinking at the blurriness from her vision. There was a white ceiling. That was not her car.

Selene sat up slowly, still blinking at the blurriness that refused to leave her eyes. She groaned at the pain in her head, and as she looked around, she realized she didn't know where she was. It looked like… an apartment. A bedroom in an apartment. That's odd… Shouldn't she be in a hospital? She _did_ just get into a car accident… And a bedroom in an apartment is _definitely _not a hospital.

The door opened and as Selene looked over, a woman around her age walked in. She had shoulder length blond hair, dark eyebrows, light brown eyes, pale, flawless skin and rose pink lips. She smiled at seeing Selene awake.

" Oh good! You're awake!" She said, her voice in an English accent. Now they could try and find out who she was. Selene stared.

_Why the hell does this woman look like Rose Tyler? Like… exactly like her?_ She managed to think through the fuzziness of her brain. The woman stepped a bit closer to the bed, putting her hands in her jeans pockets.

" Are you feeling alright? I mean, when we found you, you were pretty beat-up." She said, a small smile still on her lips, a smile that was meant to be comforting. She felt bad that the woman before her was so confused looking and so scratched up. By the looks of her wounds, they weren't fun to attain.

" Uh… Did… Has…" Selene began to speak, words not coming out right. " Has… anyone told you that you look… _exactly_ like Rose Tyler from Doctor Who?" Selene asked quietly, head pounding and reeling. The next question she was about to ask was 'where am I' but the look on the woman's face stopped her. The smile was gone, a look of shock in place. She blinked rapidly a moment, not finding words.

" How did you… I _am_ Rose Tyler…" Rose said. Selene stared.

_I'm going crazy._ Selene thought to herself. _Obviously this is… a dream. Of course, a dream, I hit my head in the car. _She shook her head, earning an furious headache. A short laugh passed through her lips and it made her lungs hurt.

" No, you're joking. You c_annot_ be Rose Tyler. She's… she is undoubtedly and absolutely fictional!" Selene said, beginning to panic. If it _wasn't_ a dream, then it was obviously a prank. A very well thought out… and elaborate… Prank. Rose stepped forward, slowly pulling something out of her pocket. She held out her ID for Selene to see. It had her picture on it, and on the name line, in capitol letters, it read; ROSE TYLER.

" This is real. I am real, I assure you. I think my friend may want to meet you…" Rose said quietly, her eyes not leaving the woman. She was beginning to worry. This woman _knew her name_. She and the Doctor had still been suspicious if she was an alien or not. They had to be extremely cautious, and Rose already was, seeing as she now knew the mysterious woman knew who she was.

Rose leaned out of the door and called for someone and Selene was shaking her head. She was beginning to recognize it. It was Rose's room in Doctor Who. It couldn't be possible that all this was real! It _had_ to be a dream! Never mind the realistic pain, this was a dream! It was… it was caused by the head trauma from the car accident! There was no way possible that she was in the _actual_ Rose Tyler's _actual_ room. As much as she wished deep down that it could be, it wasn't possible.

Selene then took into account she had a bandage on her arm and one on her forehead. She reached up and lightly touched it, wincing at the pain she felt when her arm moved. She was just about to take the bandage from her forehead, but a voice froze her.

" Oh, uh, I would _not_ do that if I were you. The cut on your forehead is _pretty_ nasty and needs to heal, and at the moment, it still needs to be covered." Said an all too familiar English-accented male voice. Selene dropped her hand, slowly looking up, feeling about ready to faint when she saw who spoke.

He was standing there in his blue suit and dark tie, with his neat yet messy brown hair, mischievous hazel eyes, a spray of very faint freckles across his high cheekbones, and his long legs made him obviously tall, and he was rather thin. It was _the Doctor._ The _Tenth Doctor_.

" Oh my Lord…" Selene muttered. She could feel her heart pause for a moment as she stared at the pair in the doorway. The Doctor and Rose Tyler.

_Dream. This. Is. A. Dream_. Selene told herself.

" So, what's your name?" The Doctor asked as he stepped into the room. She began to stutter, her mind no longer functioning properly.

" S-Selene Thomas…" She muttered, stuttering slightly. A grin suddenly spread across the Doctor's face, revealing white teeth.

" Selene! That means moon! Ah, I love moons!" The Doctor told the two women with a grin. Rose gave him a look and he dropped the grin and cleared his throat, shoving his hands in his pockets.

" Well, Selene Thomas, I'm-"

" The Doctor." Selene finished for him on an impulse, her voice quavering. His eyebrows shot up.

" Oh! So you know me!" He said. " Guess that shouldn't be too surprising anymore…" The Doctor looked over at Rose, scrunching up his face slightly at the truth of his statement as he also scratched the back of his head. Rose let out a sigh, stepping closer to him.

" She knew who I was too." Rose told him.

" Oh, really?"

" Yeah." Rose said as she crossed her arms. The Doctor slowly walked over to the bedside and peered down at Selene curiously.

" Where are you from?" He asked. Selene was sure this was a dream. It had to be! No other explanation…

" Boston, Massachusetts…" She muttered, unsure if she should continue answering.

" Oh! An American! Love Boston though, met Paul Revere once, and no, I had _nothing_ to do with him being captured that night." The Doctor assured them. " Question is… How do you know who we are if you're only human?"

" This is a dream! I swear to God it is! I'm dreaming I'm here! It isn't real!" Selene said. The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and held it up to Selene's forehead. He clicked a button, it bather her face in blue light and whirred for a moment. The Doctor lowered it and shook his head.

" No, you aren't dreaming, you are most definitely awake. If you were dreaming you wouldn't feel pain. And by the way you keep wincing when you move, you're in pain." He told her. His face twisted into confusion again. " Why do you think your dreaming?" His eyebrows were scrunched together as he looked at the woman. He was, quite honestly, intrigued by this Selene Thomas. She knew Rose's name and who he was and she just… appeared out of nowhere.

" Because I'm here! In London! With you two! In this room! _This,_" She gestured around herself. " Is actually a TV show! You two are fictional characters! I was in a car accident and this is a dream caused by head trauma, it's the only explanation." Selene ranted, in what she knew was a desperate attempt to convince her muddled mind that what she saying was true, and that at any moment, she'd wake up in a hospital in Boston.

The Doctor and Rose looked at each other, both confused. A show on telly? She was either crazy, extremely injured, or something else, because they weren't in a show. They were in reality. Real life. Selene's body ached horribly and her mind began to work quickly.

What if this _is_ real? You can't feel pain in a dream. She was in close to agony. And if it is real (_Still highly unlikely_. She told herself) how the _hell_ did she get here?

The Doctor sat on the edge of the bed and Rose walked to stand at the end of the bed. They really had to figure all this muddled information out. But before the Doctor could ask anything, Jackie, Rose's mother, ran in.

" Oh, she's awake!" She exclaimed and rushed over to the end of the bed, and this earned a sigh from Rose and the Doctor. " Oh, sweetie, are you alright? Are you hungry at all? Do you want anything to eat?" She asked. Selene shook her head.

" No, I-"

" Oh, how about some eggs?" Jackie interrupted.

" I-"

" Or some chips? Any fruit?"

" I-" Selene's mind finally pulled up something of use. This particular conversation had happened before, but between Jackie and the Doctor in the Christmas episode. There was only way to get her to stop… and that was probably to just yell.

" Pancakes? French toast-"

" Yes, that sounds great!" Selene finally managed to say, cutting Jackie off. She gave a nod before she quickly left the room.

" You handled that well." Rose commented with a bit of amusement in her voice. Selene shrugged.

" Yeah, I don't even know what I agreed to eat…" She admitted a small laugh leaving her lips.

" Back to the original point…" The Doctor muttered, shaking his head. " We saw you basically… materialize on the side of the street, all beaten up. We thought you were from a different planet…" The Doctor peered at her again with his hazel eyes. " I was wondering if you might let me search your memories?" He asked abruptly as if he had a theory in his head he thought could be proved from said memory searching. And, in fact, that was exactly why he asked. Selene gave a nod, adjusting her legs to a better sitting position.

" I just have one question, in case all of this is all real." Selene said, her voice trembling a bit. " I need to know where you two last went on your last adventure, because I kind of don't want to… give away the future because I know that's kind of a no-no… just to be safe…" Rose glanced at the Doctor who just nodded in agreement.

" We just met Queen Victoria. And there was this werewolf too." Rose told her quietly and almost hesitantly. Selene nodded.

" Thanks. Okay we can continue with the memory searching." The Doctor sat on the edge of the bed and she moved to sit on the edge as well.

The Doctor reached out and placed both his hands on either side of her head, some of his fingers resting on her temples. She closed her eyes, jumping slightly at the feeling of _real hands_ on her head.

_No, no… no, this can't be… can't be real… but… oh dear Lord… oh my God…_ She thought before the Doctor's calm voice interrupted her thoughts.

" This may hurt a tiny bit… You may find older memories waking up as well…" He told her. She chuckled.

" My head already hurts, it won't make much of a difference." Selene told him, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. Suddenly she felt like something had pushed into her head. She winced slightly and heard a quiet 'sorry' from the man sitting in front of her.

" Now, if there is _anything_ you don't want me to see, just think of a door." He said. Selene gave a slight nod, and she began to see her memories. Ones of Boston. Ones of the world around her. Ones of her life; her jobs, her family her two friends etc. And, also, watching Doctor Who. Guessing that if she really was in the Doctor Who universe, then it was shortly after the Doctor regenerated, so she blocked any memories of the show after Tooth and Claw. The final memory was the car crash she'd been in and the voices she'd heard before passing out. She felt like something left her head and she opened her eyes as the Doctor's warm hands left the sides of her head. He was staring at her in shock, eyes wide.

_Can't be possible…_ He thought to himself. _She's… she's from a __different dimension__. Inter-dimension travel hasn't happened since the Time Lords died… all but me, but still… This shouldn't be possible._

" Doctor? What is it?" Rose asked. She was worried at the look on the Doctor's face. What could he have seen? Was she dangerous?

" She's from a different dimension. It shouldn't be possible that she's here, but she is. Her world is basically a parallel universe of ours… she was right… this word is a television show where she's from. You shouldn't be here…" The Doctor muttered, running a hand through his hair, causing it to stick up in different directions. Selene felt about ready to pass out again and even swayed a bit, but stopped herself by telling herself she needed to stay coherent to sort all of this out.

" Well… If she shouldn't be here, couldn't she be altering the universe by being here?" Rose asked in worry.

" She's right." Selene said, recalling her knowledge of the show with a bit of difficulty. " I could seriously screw things up." Selene said. " Right?" The Doctor seemed lost in thought.

" Surprisingly, I had no alarm bells ring when you showed up here. Nothing. Not even a blip. Judging by that, I don't think you can. Well… if you change any fixed point in time you could. Well…" He scrunched up his eyebrows. " That's true for anyone, but still. I think she's fine here. Anyway, I'd say the car crash and the fact you fell into a coma somehow contributed to you getting here. I don't really think there's any way to actually send you back home… Sorry…" He told her, the last bit apologetic. After a moment of thinking, Selene shook her head.

" Don't be. Don't really want to go back." She admitted quietly, much to the surprise of the other occupants of the room and even a bit to herself.

" What? Why?" Rose asked. " Won't you miss your family? Your friends?"

" Family, yes. I only have two friends and of course I'll miss them. But, Doctor, I'm sure you saw my life. It wasn't in any means going in a good direction. I was about to loose both my jobs, and eventually my car and my apartment. I have no reason to go back. I couldn't complete college and won't get a respectable job because of that. I don't want to go back, there's nothing there for me anymore…" Selene explained, looking off, trying not to let them see the tears in her eyes.

There was a long pause of silence as everyone reflected on what she'd just said. Almost at the same time, the same thought ran through all their heads.

_Maybe she was meant to fall into this world. _

" Stranger things have happened…" Muttered the Doctor out loud. His words snapped everyone back to reality. (_Oh my God… this is reality… This is… amazing! Really weird and nerve wracking, but amazing none the less!_ _No, this isn't a time to go all fan-girl… This is too weird… _Was the thought that ran through Selene's pain filled mind.) Selene was now actually feeling twinges of excitement running through her at the surprising truth of it all. Only thing was, what was she going to do now that she was here…

" Well!" The Doctor said loudly, causing both females to jump. He stood up from the bed and gave a smile. " We don't have to worry about her being dangerous or anything. She's fun loving and adventurous! Just like us. So, Selene, I think you should go eat whatever Jackie's cooked up, it'll do you good." He held out his hand to her. She slowly took it, still amazed at the feeling of warmth in his hand. He helped her stand, and her now bare feet got used to having weight on them again.

She took a few tentative steps, stumbled a few times, grabbing onto the edge of the bed. Selene felt someone place a hand on her arm and she looked up to see Rose smiling kindly at her. She smiled back, albeit she was still nervous about this whole situation. Rose helped her out to the living room and to sit on the couch, knowing her mother would be there soon to pester the young woman about the food she'd made for her.

Rose sat with Selene as she ate, talking to her about her life, even though that seemed a tad bit cliché. The two formed a general understanding of the other (to Selene a _real_ understanding to the _real_ Rose Tyler that sat only a sofa cushion away from her) and found a small friendship forming over the hour they talked. As she finished her food, Rose offered to lend her some clothes seeing as her outfit was a bit torn up.

" I'll keep my jeans, I don't think yours would fit me, but I'd be grateful if I could borrow a shirt…" Selene said, standing with Rose's assistance.

" Of course! Come on, I'll let you browse my collection of shirts. Doesn't matter which you pick as long as you're comfortable in it." Rose said as she helped her back to her room. Shutting the door for her new guest's privacy, she walked over to the Doctor, who was leaning against the wall in the hallway, brow creased and arms folded across his chest.

" You seem deep in thought." Rose commented, leaning against the wall beside him.

" I am." He responded quietly, eyes focused on the floor. " I'm trying to think of what we should do… We can't just leave her here with your Mum, that wouldn't be bound to end well, and we can't just set her loose in a different dimension, let alone a different _city_ than she's used to…"

Rose gave a small shrug and bumped his arm with her elbow, a small smile beginning to tug on her lips.

" Well, you _did_ say she liked adventure, _and_ she seems really nice and funny and all that… and _trustworthy_, may I add, so… why don't we let her come with us? You know on the TARDIS and all that. She already seems pretty knowledgeable about all this kind of stuff too." Rose suggested in a calm and neutral voice, as if they were discussing a completely simple subject. The Doctor raised an eyebrow and glanced down at her. She gave him an innocent smile. " What? I can't make the final judgment, it _is_ your TARDIS after all. But remember, you're the one who saw her memories, so you probably know a bit more than I do."

The Doctor thought about it a moment. Rose did have a point, like always. If they couldn't let Selene roam around London, and to her an alternate London (though not by much), what better way to make sure she kept out of trouble than keeping her with them on the TARDIS? And, she did have an adventurous personality…

" Oh…" The Doctor stood straight, running a hand through his hair. " Alright! She can come along, there's no harm in that!" He said smiling. Rose grinned back up at him and gave him a hug, which he returned as Selene stepped out of Rose's room, her hair tied back into a bun, a simple pink t-shirt replacing her torn up orange button down. She gave them a small smile, standing a bit awkwardly at the end of the hall. The Doctor put his hands in his pockets as he grinned at her.

" So! Selene, still love the name by the way, we have a proposition for you. Rather than let you get all confused by wandering around London all alone, we thought you might like to come with us. You know, travel time and space. You don't seem to have a lot to do, and what better way to spend that time then by traveling through it?" The Doctor asked, walking towards her, watching a look of shock form on the woman's face. " So, what do you say?"

There was a shocked pause. The Doctor and Rose were asking her to join them. This was the biggest moment of her life. And it was indeed her life as she was beginning to very slowly realize and accept. She should say yes, right? She could literally finally join the world she'd been hoping was real for the longest of time. The place she hoped she would be accepted. So, after that pause, she nodded, not able to speak for a few more seconds.

" Yeah! I'd… Are you kidding me? I-I would love to!" She told them, the words finally stumbling through her lips. The Doctor grinned, hearing the eagerness and also disbelief creeping into her voice. Maybe having another person around the TARDIS will be a good thing!

Rose couldn't help but let a grin spread across her own face as well as bouncing a bit on her toes, a giggle passing through her lips. Selene was acting like… well… a fan-girl was the best thing to compare her to. Now, Rose was never one to trust too quickly, and it shocked her that she actually trusted this girl from another dimension as easily as she did. She knew that she was going to be cautious around her, she'd learned she had to be with some people, but as of the moment, she was trustworthy. The Doctor then clapped his hands together, grin still plastered on his face.

" Right then! Shall we depart? I think we've been down on earth for a bit long and I say we get moving!" The Doctor said, turning on his heel and grabbing his long tan coat from a coat rack hanging on the wall. He pulled it on with a grin, gesturing towards the door.

After Rose said goodbye to her mother and grabbed her coat, the three left the flat. Selene shivered a bit in the frigid air, mentally asking herself why she didn't ask to borrow a coat.

" So! Selene! Tell me, do you know what TARDIS stands for?" The Doctor asked curiously as she followed the two around the streets she didn't know. She nodded, rubbing her bare arms a bit.

" Yeah, it stands for 'Time And Relative Dimension In Space'. I also happen to know that it's your time machine." She said with a smile on her face, head ducked down. The Doctor chuckled.

" Good, we won't have to go over that then. In fact…" He paused, face turning thoughtful as he put his hands in his pockets. " We won't have to explain much of anything to you, you already know most of it… but it's one thing to see it and one thing to experience it! Trust me, I know."

They rounded a corner and there, sitting on the street corner, was the TARDIS. It stood tall, the dark blue paint a unique shade of the color. It looked like an old 1960's police box; it even had a sign towards the top that read 'POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX'. The windows on the tops of the doors were frosted white and divided into six rectangles.

" Ah, there it is!" The Doctor exclaimed happily as they walked over. Selene stared at in shock, forcing her mouth not to drop open. And as she got closer she could read the sign on the left-hand door;

POLICE TELEPHONE

FREE

FOR USE OF

PUBLIC

ADVICE & ASSISTANCE

OBTAINABLE IMMEDIATELY

OFFICER & CARS

RESPOND TO ALL CALLS

PULL TO OPEN

The Doctor was unlocking the door, chatting with Rose about where to go next; well, it was more like he was listing off places while she smiled and nodded, listening to his excitement. Once the door unlocked the Doctor turned to face Selene. He smiled a bit more and pushed the door open, nodding for her to head inside first. She managed to keep the goofy and excited grin from her face, as she stepped inside slowly, holding onto the doorframe. Just _touching_ the TARDIS almost wiped every doubt of this situation being fake from her mind. She let go and looked around the inside in pure shock, sensing the two stepping inside behind her.

Looking to her left there was a coat rack where she knew the Doctor hung his coat. They were standing on a metal grated ramp that led directly up to the TARDIS console, that some would argue looked like a jumble or random items that didn't make sense, but to the Doctor it made perfect sense, and if he wanted to, he could teach anyone how to use it. The entire console room was huge. The walls were curved and had honeycomb shaped lights that sometimes doubled as windows. The lighting was fairly dim and an orangey-yellow color. The console stretched upwards into the ceiling, and Selene knew that this was just some of the TARDIS. In the famous words of so many other companions, 'It's bigger on the inside'.

The door shut and Selene stepped off to the side to allow the two time travelers to walk forward.

" Right! So, where do we want to go? We could go to future earth or, oh! I know! We could go visit Louisa May Alcott, she's a _great_ story teller!" The Doctor suggested with a grin, leaning against the console. Rose rolled her eyes.

" Why don't we keep it simple, this _is_ her first trip in the TARDIS and she is getting used to this whole… new reality thing. Not to mention she's recovering from a car crash." Rose suggested with a shrug. " Why not just to the moon?" The Doctor quirked his lips to one side, thinking for a moment.

" That actually makes sense, yeah… the moon it is then! Come on then, Selene, don't stand there awkwardly! This is technically your new home so don't be shy!" He said kindly, turning to flick around a few switched and twist a few dials. Rose tossed her coat over the railing and Selene began to walk forward. She was running her hand along the railing, and absent mindedly as she stepped towards the console, she pinched her arm hard to make sure she really wasn't dreaming.

Her nails made a sharp, stinging pinch on her skin and she hissed in pain, rubbing the now pink splotch on her flesh. The Doctor smirked at her.

" Don't worry, you'll get used to it soon. Now, I suggest you hold onto something 'cause this is always a bit bumpy at first.' He suggested, putting his hand on a familiar looking lever. Selene grinned over at him, finally grinning at everything around her. She grabbed onto the railing tightly. Grinning back at her, the Doctor yanked the lever and there was a loud thud and the TARDIS shuddered and jolted for a moment, causing everyone's legs to just about give out underneath them. Then, the familiar sound of the TARDIS resounded and it shook a bit more. After a few moments of that, there was another thud. The Doctor grinned and stood straight again.

" I think you'll love this!" Rose said with a grin, grabbing Selene's hand and dragging her towards the door. She looked back at the Doctor. " May I?"

" Go right ahead."

Rose put her hand on the door handle and pulled it open, revealing the barren landscape of the moon. The stars were twinkling the vast universe surrounding them, and they were facing the earth, which almost seemed to glow from where they were. Selene's mouth dropped open and she raised a hand to cover it, blinking her blue eyes rapidly as if the image before her was false.

" How… How are we still breathing?" I asked. " If we're on the moon and there's no oxygen we should be dead."

" Ah, we've got sort of an… oxygen bubble around us right now so we can be here. But," The Doctor strolled over slowly, hands in his pockets. " What do you think?"

" You mean about being inside a time machine, on the moon, staring at earth?"

" Pretty much, yeah."

" It's… unreal and amazing and I can't believe this is real…" She muttered, staring out at the expanse of the moon before her. As she poked her head out to look around more, a phone rang and Rose disappeared from the door.

The Doctor watched the new inhabitant of the TARDIS as she stared around at the sky above. A smile graced her lips as she looked around and she was shaking her head in the slightest, still in disbelief. He smiled. He always loved seeing the look of awe and pure wonder on the face of someone seeing the universe in a new way for the first time. It just never got old.

" Uh, Doctor?" Rose called. He turned and looked over at her, eyebrows raised in response. Her face was contorted in a bit of worry, her mobile phone still held by her ear. " Mickey says we might have a problem."

_**Afterword: And there's chapter one! Okay, the ending is sort of lame (or if thus far it's lame BUT IT WILL GET BETTER!) but ah, I had to end it somewhere! Hope it was… okay. I'd like to thank two people for their help with this; LadySurvivor and grapejuice101. Thanks so much to the both of you! You both helped me a lot! And If any of the editing I did isn't what we agreed on, it's cause my computer decided not to save the changes correctly and I just want to get this up! **_

_** So, please review to let me know what you think (I'd appreciate nice comments)! This story is officially the one I'm most nervous about since I don't want to be seen as someone who is screwing up the best show in the world. So, once again, nice reviews would be loved to keep me motivated! Till chapter two!**_

_**~Mary**_


	2. School Reunion

_Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or and of the characters/creatures/worlds. I only own my OC Selene._

**Foreword: So, just a heads up, each chapter will be an episode, so it might be a taaaaaaad bit long… okay, it's REALLY long, who am I kidding XD So bare with me on this! Also; I must thank two very special people: LadySurvivor who has helped me realize my mistakes with speech tags and grapejuice101 who has helped me out with plot points in this chapter and chapters to come! Thanks again you guys! And, on to the story!**

**Allons-y!**

2. School Reunion

Getting called back to earth from being on the moon seemed a bit sudden, but Mickey had told them about a potentially worrying situation at a school. So, Selene was immediately launched into her very first Doctor Who adventure.

OOOoOOO

Mr. Finch, headmaster of Deffry Vale High School, trod down the staircase steps, one arm by his side, the other poised just in front of his chest. He glanced around the halls, which were empty due to the fact class was still in session. His hair was slicked back from his face, and his brow was creased slightly. Mr. Finch rounded a corner to a corridor that was an ungodly shade of bright green. He walked towards the blue door marked 'HEADMASTER' and almost walked right by a tired looking girl sitting in a plastic chair against the wall. He froze and then turned on his heel to face the brunette girl.

" What do you want?" He asked. The girl looked up at him, her shoulders hunched a bit.

" The nurse sent me, Sir," She explained in a tired voice. " I was in English and I got a headache." Mr. Finch gave her a half confused and half angered look.

" Then don't come to me, go home."

" I can't."

" Why? Is your Mother at work?" He asked, bringing both arms to his sides and leaning forward a bit, tone patient.

" I live in Ambrose Hall. The children's home," The girl explained, voice a bit raspy. A look of great realization overcame the headmaster's face.

" No parents?" He asked, eyebrows lifting. " No one to miss you. I see why the nurse sent you. You poor child." He let a small sympathetic smile pull on his lips. He looked her over. " Poor… thin child. Come inside." He walked over to the door and opened it, admitting her inside.

" It's nearly time for lunch," Mr. Finch told her as she passed. He stepped in as well and then shut the door.

There was an unearthly screech, a flapping of wings and then a scream echoed off the office walls, a scream that was droned out by the ringing of the school bells.

The class that the girl had left from had been the English class currently taught by Selene, who was undercover as an English teacher, under the insistence of the Doctor. Just after the girl left, she stood at the front of the room and leaning against the whiteboard, staring out at the class. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she toyed with a frill that ran down the front of her blue blouse that was patterned with white polka dots. She sighed.

" No one? No one knows _anything_ about this man?" She pointed to a picture of Shakespeare. Not a kid in the class even moved. She groaned. " Now I know how _my_ teachers felt… Okay, will someone at least tell me two plays by Shakespeare? Just two, come on!"

After a moment, one kid hesitantly raised his hand.

" One is Romeo and the other is Juliet?" He asked. Selene shook her head, pursing her lips.

" No, Romeo and Juliet is one play. But good try. Anyone else want to try?" She asked hopefully, bringing her hand up to play with her necklace charm nervously. She'd endured _two days_ of this silence. Two days of talking to what felt like no one. It was absolute torture! The only good parts of the day were when she was finally able to see the Doctor and Rose again. She was just about to give up and dismiss class early when a small blond girl in the front of the room raised her hand.

" Yes, you, Maria, I believe it is?" The girl nodded. " Okay, Maria, tell me some plays by Mister William Shakespeare."

The girl then proceeded to list off _every _one of Shakespeare's published works and the years that they were first performed. Selene stared at the girl in shock, mentally making a note to tell Rose and the Doctor about that. She opened her mouth to say she was probably completely correct, but she stopped when she spotted the headmaster by the door. He was staring at her, eyes narrowed a bit. She gave a kind smile and a nod to him, trying not to blow her cover. He nodded back before turning on his heel and heading towards the staircase. She shook her head and began to continue class.

" Right, Maria, that was extremely impressive. Now, if you'd please take out your copy of Midsummer's Night Dream I'll tell you tonight's homework…"

The bell eventually rang to signal the end of class. Immediately grabbing her things, which was just two notebooks and a copy of the play, she headed off to find the Doctor for two reasons.

One; that girl, Maria, shouldn't have known _all that_.

Two; he was teaching physics and she was pretty sure that today was the day he got into that little spat with the boy Milo, and she wanted to see it in person… she's still a fan-girl and she was still getting used to all of this, so she figured she might as well have some fun before it got all dangerous, right? But, not wanting to look suspicious or disrupt much, she decided she'd have to watch from the hall.

The halls were filled with students in their uniforms; grey sweaters with the school emblem on it, white button-down shirts, maroon and grey striped ties and boys wore black pants and black shoes and the girls sported black knee-length skirts with knee-high black socks and black shoes. Some students hurried into their Physics classroom and sat, waiting for the third day with their new teacher.

And then he walked in, wearing a brown pinstriped suit, white Converse, a white button-down shirt, a black tie and a pair of black square-framed glasses. The Doctor set his briefcase down on the table top and smiled at the class, his brown hair flopping into his face.

" Good morning, class!" He called out into the classroom. " Are we sitting comfortably?" He grinned at them all. He spun around to face the whiteboard and picked up a whiteboard marker, which happened to be red, and then scrawled, 'PHYSICS' onto the board and underlining it.

" So!" He exclaimed, turning to face all the students again. " Physics, eh?" He tossed the pen onto the countertop and began to walk around to the front of the table, which was covered in test tubes and beakers and such. " Physics! Phyyyyyyyyyyysics. Physics. physics! Physics. Physics. Physics, physics, physics, physics, physics, physics…" He leaned backwards over the counter top, stretching out his back before righting himself quickly. " Physics!" He looked around at all the odd looks he was getting. " I hope one of you is getting this down."

The Doctor spun around and walked back towards the whiteboard. " Okay, lets see what you know! Two _identical_ strips of nylon are charged with static electricity and hung from a string to swing freely, what would happen if they were brought near each other?" He asked as he paced in front of the class. A boy with shaggy blond/brown hair and glasses raised his hand.

" Yes! Uh, what's your name?" The Doctor asked, leaning forward, pursing his lips a bit.

" Milo."

" Milo, off you go!"

" They'd repell each other because they have the same charge," Milo answered.

" Correctamundo! A word I have never used before and hopefully will never use again." He said mostly to himself, heading back behind the desk with his hands in his pockets, head leaned back to stare at the ceiling. " Question two; I coil up a thin piece of microwire and place it in a glass of water." He spun on his heel to turn to walk in front of the class again. " Then I turn on the electricity and measure to see if the water's temperature is affected. My question is this. How do I measure the electrical power going into the coil?"

Milo once again raised his hand. The Doctor looked around.

" Someone else," He said. No one else raised their hand, he received only blank and bored stares. " No, okay, Milo! Go for it."

" Measure the current and PD's in an ammeter and voltmeter." Milo explained. The Doctor stared at him in curiosity as the class stared at him in shock. Selene stood outside watching with a small smile.

" Two to Milo! Alright then, Milo, tell me this, true or false; the greater the dampening of the system, the quicker it looses energy to its surroundings." The Doctor leaned against the desk.

" False."

" What is non-coding DNA?" He asked, crossing his arms.

" DNA that doesn't code for a protein."

" Sixty five thousand nine hundred and eight three times five?"

" Three hundred and twenty nine thousand nine hundred and fifteen," Milo answered immediately.

" How do you travel faster than light?"

" By opening a quantum tunnel with an FTL factor of thirty six point seven recurring." Came Milo's final answer.

The Doctor's jaw dropped in shock. That was _not_ knowledge known to humans on earth. Definitely not.

Out in the hall Selene stood on her toes to peer into the classroom more but a hand landed on her shoulder. She jumped and turned to see a tall man with dark skin standing there staring down at her. He glared a bit at her.

" Miss Thomas, I believe it is, I think you should go wait and relax in the teacher's lounge for a bit, don't you," He stated. Having no choice but to answer yes, she nodded and turned and walked down the hall, shooting a look over her shoulder at the Doctor's classroom door.

OOO

At lunch the Doctor stood in line getting food along with the other students and teachers. He calmly walked along with a small smile on his face as he looked around, holding his red plastic lunch tray in one hand. As he paused as something that could only be described as slop was dropped on his tray and looked up to see a _very_ unhappy Rose, who was dressed as a dinner-lady, glaring at him. He just smiled brightly at her and turned and began to walk away to find a table to eat at, glancing over his shoulder at her. Rose clenched her jaw and glared after him, her eyebrow twitching.

The Doctor sat alone at a table nibbling on a chip that was speared onto his fork. He'd caught sight of Selene who was now in line to get her food and he waited for her to be finished. Rose then walked over and began to clean the table he sat at.

" _Two days_," Rose said to him angrily, beginning to wipe up a few spots of gravy on the table.

" Sorry, could you just?" He gestured to a spot with his fork. " There's a bit of gravy." She wiped the spot away. " No, no, just… just there." He pointed to another spot.

" _Two days_ we've been here," She repeated.

" Blame your boyfriend!" The Doctor said, referring to Mickey. " _He's_ the one who put us on to this."

" I'm a _dinner-lady,_ Doctor. Why does Selene get to be a teacher and not have to suffer with me?" Rose asked, putting a hand on her hip. The Doctor looked up at her, eyebrows scrunched a bit.

" Well, I thought it might be nice to have another eye around the classrooms, and I saw that she could have majored in English or Literature if she finished college," He explained with a shrug, biting into a chip. Rose opened her mouth to speak again but Selene sat down across from the Doctor, smoothing out her navy-blue skirt. She smiled at them.

" So, what were you talking about?" She asked curiously.

" Well, we were just-" Rose began but the Doctor swiftly cut her off.

" Nothing! We were just… I mean we were talking about… well… stuff," The Doctor replied. Rose gave him a 'did you really just cut me off?' sort of look and Selene just glanced between the two awkwardly. The Doctor ate the rest of the chip in his hand and looked off while chewing.

" Alright then," Selene said, eating a chip and then faintly remembering that whatever was going on with the school had to do with them so she gently pushed the tray away a bit. " So, something happened in class today. There was a girl who named off _every single_ Shakespeare play and the years that they were first performed. I know that you could memorize that stuff but it was just too weird. It was like she'd know it her whole life."

" There was a boy in my class this morning, got a knowledge _way_ beyond planet earth!" The Doctor said in agreement. Rose looked at the two trays on the table.

" You eating those chips?" She asked snatching a chip from the Doctor's tray.

" Yeah, but they're a bit… different," He said, face scrunching up. Rose looked over at Selene who shrugged and tucked a strand of hair back into her bun.

" Was never fond of school lunches," She said. Rose bit into one and smiled a bit.

" I think they're _gorgeous!_" She told them, eating the rest of it and sitting down at the head of the table. " I wish I had school dinners like this." The Doctor leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, looking around the room.

" It's very well behaved this place," He said. " I thought it would be all… happy-slapping hoodies. Happy-slapping hoodies with ASBO's. Happy-slapping hoodies with ASBO's and _ringtones_, yeah?" He smiled. " Yeah? Oh yeah, don't tell me I don't fit in." Rose and Selene exchanged a glance, both suppressing laughter.

" You are not permitted to leave your station during a sitting!" Said a stern looking woman dressed in the same way that Rose was. Rose stood and gestured to them.

" I was just talking to these teachers," Rose said.

" Hello!" The Doctor and Selene said cheerfully at the same time. Rose then dropped her voice to a stage whisper.

" They don't like the chips!" The woman's face turned her glare to the other two.

" The menu has been _specifically_ designed by the headmaster to improve concentration and performance," She looked at Rose, who had been nodding as she spoke. " Now get back to work!" And with that, she marched off. Rose glared at the Doctor.

" See? This is me." She said walking around the table, turning to look at the two and gesturing to her outfit. " Dinner-lady…" She grumbled turning away.

" I'll have the crumble!" The Doctor called after her with a grin on his face.

" I'm _so_ gonna kill you," Rose muttered with a laugh.

" That was mean… but funny," Selene laughed quietly shaking her head. The Doctor sent a grin her way before taking a bite out of another chip. She would have returned the grin but the teacher who had told her to go to the teacher's lounge strode into the canteen with purpose, heading towards a particular table. She followed his movements discreetly with her eyes and he stopped by a girl with red-brown hair that was pulled into a ponytail.

" Melissa, you'll be joining my class next period. Milo's failed me, so it's time we moved you up to the _top_ class." The man turned his attention to a round boy sitting diagonally from Melissa. " Kenny, not eating the chips?"

" I'm not allowed," Responded Kenny in an almost mournful manor.

" Luke, extra class, now." The man straightened and began to walk out, Luke and Melissa following him. Selene and the Doctor watched them leave and she shook her head, trying to clear the haze that still hung there. She felt like she was missing something right in front of her, and she probably was, but she couldn't quite place it since her brain was still recovering from being thrown around a crashing car _and_ traveling into a different dimension.

The Doctor's gaze rose to where Mr. Finch stood watching the kids and teacher leave. He reached into his pocket and took out a scrap of paper and a pen. He quickly scribbled something down and then slid it across the table to Selene. She looked down at it and it read;

_**We need to talk about the… 'television show'.**_

Selene folded up the paper and then looked up at him, pretending to check the clock on the wall.

" I'll meet you in the teacher's lounge," She said standing and taking her tray.

" Great. See you then," The Doctor responded as she then walked off to toss the rest of her uneaten food.

OO

Back in the kitchens, Rose was cleaning dishes as the other four kitchen workers rolled in what looked like an oil drum. It was in a wooden cart, and they all wore gloves goggles and masks.

" Keep it steady," Said one of the women. " Careful, don't spill a drop. I said, keep it steady. That's it. Easy now. Steady."

Rose's mobile rang so she quickly walked to a quieter corner of the room where she could still watch whatever the other dinner-ladies were doing. She answered and quickly held it up to her ear.

" What have you got?" Rose asked.

" _Confirmation. I've just got into army records._" Came Mickey Smith's voice from the other end of the line. "_ Three months ago, massive UFO activity. They logged over __forty sightings__; lights in the sky, all of that. I can't get any photos' cause then it gets all classified and secret! It keeps locking me out!_"

" Tell you what though, turns out three months ago _all_ the kitchen staff were replaced. And this lot are weird," Rose muttered into her phone watching as the group of women began to move a second oil drum towards an office-like room.

" _See? There's definitely something going on, I was right to call you home._"

" I thought maybe you called me home just to… just to call me home," Was Rose's innocent reply. She heard Mickey laugh a bit.

" _You think I'd just invent an emergency?_" He asked with a teasing tone in his voice.

" You could've done."

" _That's the last thing I'd do_._ 'Cause every time I see you an emergency just gets in the way._"

There was a shout as one of the women pushing the oil drum fell, some of the drum's contents spilling out onto her. She began screaming as the yellow substance caused a sizzling sound and a burning smell.

" I've got to go!" Rose said into her phone. She began to rush forward as the woman was helped up and brought into the office. The shade in the window was dropped and Rose began to dial for an ambulance. The woman from earlier stepped outside again, pulling her mask off, eyes trained on the young blond.

" What are you doing?"

" Calling an ambulance," Rose said in a breathless voice.

" No need, she's quite alright." Rose pulled her phone away from her ear and canceled the call. There was a flash and a scream along with the sound of burning. A puff of smoke left the room. " It's fine. She does that." She pulled the mask and goggles back on, stepped into the office and shut the door.

Rose stepped forward and stared at the yellow oil that was now dripping from the open oil drum. That couldn't be good…

OO

Selene was sitting on the edge of a desk in the teacher's lounge waiting for the Doctor. She stared at the red ballet flats on her feet and yanked her hair out of the bun it had been, getting a bit sick up it being pinned up for the last two days. The teacher's lounge was empty besides herself so she had grabbed a bag of trail-mix she'd found in a cupboard and began to toss bits of it in the air to try and catch with her mouth as she waited. She'd failed the first few times when the snacks bounced off her chin or lip, but she got the hang of it. She'd just caught a broken bit of a pretzel when the Doctor walked in, smiling at her.

" I see you found something to keep yourself occupied," He said a bit loudly from behind her, which caused her to let out a tiny scream, and the trail-mix in her hand went flying. She put a hand over her heart and looked back at him trying to catch her breath. He had a hand over his mouth and his hazel eyes were wide. Pulling his hand away he gave an apologetic smile.

" Sorry… I swear I didn't mean to intentionally scare you," He said reaching out and pulling a tiny pretzel from a curl in her hair. She blushed and shook the rest of it out, grabbing another handful of it, staring at her feet again.

" It's fine… I used to do it at work back at home. I'd get caught and would receive a stern talking to about how I shouldn't let the customers see me slack off," Selene told him, offering him some of the trail-mix in her hand. He gratefully took some and sat on the desk beside her.

" So," The Doctor began quietly, looking around to make sure no one else was in the room. " Tell me about your dimension." He grinned at her. She raised an eyebrow.

" You saw it in my memories."

" Yeah, but that doesn't mean I get the _whole story_. So go on! Tell me about your home!"

" Well, it's basically exactly like this dimension. You know, same countries, same presidents and queens and conflicts and such. However, as I mentioned before this _is_ a TV show. Come to think of it… it would be _so weird_ if every TV show was its own dimension…" She trailed off, a look of wonder and shock on her face. The Doctor smirked and ate some more of the trail-mix. Shaking her head to get herself out of that mindset she tried to think of what else to talk about.

" What about your family?" The Doctor asked. She looked over at him and smiled a bit.

" My Mom, Tracy, and my Dad, Jack, have been married for close to twenty nine years. They're both extremely loving and supportive parents, but once I was in college we sort just lost touch, I haven't actually seen or spoken to them in… oh…" She winced a bit at the thought that came to mind. " Maybe a month? I have an older sister who is twenty six and a half named Juliet. God, I haven't spoken to her in over three months… But aside from the whole lost contact thing, my family is actually pretty good. I mean, my sister likes to rub in my face sometimes that she's got a job working as a reporter for the Boston Globe, but, I mean, what else are sister's for?" She laughed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Her smile faded a bit, thinking about what the Doctor had said a few days ago. The fact that she probably won't see them again.

The Doctor saw the look on her face and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, giving her his kindest smile. She looked over at him and smiled back, glad that he seemed to understand. The door to the teacher's lounge opened and a group of teachers walked in. A group of three in almost identical suits walked over to the left and a few came to the right towards the kitchenette where the Doctor and Selene sat. One man with a bushy grey mustache ran a hand over his face in a tired manor. It was Mr. Parsons, a teacher the two had gotten to know the other day.

" Mr. Parsons, would you mind if I asked you something?" Asked the Doctor, munching on some more food.

" Anything," He replied.

" Have you noticed any odd behavior lately?" Parsons sighed and nodded.

" Yesterday, I had a twelve year-old girl give me the _exact_ height of the walls of Troy in _cubits_." Parsons told them, holding his blue mug a bit tightly. Selene raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

" And this all started after you're new headmaster arrived, yes?" Selene asked, leaning forward a bit.

" Finch arrived three months ago. Next day, half the staff got flu and was replaced with that lot." He nodded towards the group of teachers in stuffy suits behind the two new 'teachers'. " Except for the two teachers that you two replaced. And that was just plain weird. Her winning the lottery like that." He was referring to the teacher the Doctor had replaced.

" How is that weird?" The Doctor asked, eyes a bit wide.

" She never played. Said she found the ticket posted through her door at midnight. And the man _you_ replaced." He pointed to Selene. " He won a contest he said he never entered and won that trip to Hawaii!" He began to walk back towards the kitchenette to make some tea. The Doctor and Selene locked eyes before they shrugged.

" The world is _very _strange," The Doctor said as he ate a crisp from a bag he just found behind him.

_Oh, how he doesn't know how true that is…_ Selene thought to herself with a smirk as she remembered what would happen next. She had to stop herself from immediately spinning around to face the door when it opened.

" Colleagues, a moment of your time," Came Mr. Finch's voice. The Doctor and Selene turned in their spots on the desk to look towards the headmaster, but it was who was standing beside him that caught the Doctor's attention immediately. His face went slack in surprise. No… It couldn't be…

" May I introduce, Miss Sarah Jane Smith." The Doctor stood and turned towards the two new inhabitants of the room, staring in shock. Sarah Jane Smith was a beautiful woman of moderate height and deep brown hair that fell to her shoulders along with fringe falling into her eyes. Despite the time that had gone by, she looked the same to the Doctor. " Miss Smith is journalist who is writing about me for the _Sunday Times._ I thought it might be useful for her to get a view from the trenches, so to speak. Don't spare my blushes."

Selene couldn't repress the grin that came onto her face not only from seeing Sarah Jane, who was one of her favorite Doctor Who companions of all time, but also from the joyous smile that lit the Doctor's entire face when he saw her. She stood and just behind him and as Mr. Finch left, Sarah Jane saw the Doctor, who was smiling at her.

" Hello!" She said politely, stepping forward, smiling brightly at him.

" Oh, I should think so!" He replied happily.

" And you are?"

" Hmm?" He hummed, lifting his eyebrows. Selene nudged his back with her elbow, prodding him to continue talking. " Ah… Smith! John Smith!" He replied once he recovered from the shock of Sarah Jane standing in front of him.

" John Smith?" She asked a bit taken back. She smiled. " I used to have a friend who sometimes went by that name."

" Well, it's a very common name," The Doctor said, still smiling.

" He was a very _uncommon_ man…" Sarah Jane told him, smiling and crossing her arms and shrugging a bit, looking lost in thought for a moment. " Nice to meet you." She shook his hand.

" Nice to meet you! Yes! Very nice! More than nice, brilliant!" The Doctor responded a bit too enthusiastically, which caused Sarah Jane to notice Selene standing behind him. She smiled over at her.

" And you are?" She asked, extending a hand around to Selene. Selene looked a bit surprised she was talking to her.

" Um, Selene Thomas," She finally replied, shaking the woman's hand.

" It's nice to meet you."

" Likewise." Was all she could manage that time around, and then decided to keep out of the rest of the conversation.

" So, um…" She looked at the two and asked them both the same question. " Have you two worked here long?"

" No, um… it's only our second day," The Doctor responded.

" Oh, you're new then! So, um… what do you think of this school?" She asked in a confidential manor, stepping a bit closer to them. " I mean, this new curriculum, so many children getting ill… doesn't that strike you as odd?"

" You don't _sound_ like someone just doing a profile," The Doctor said in a quiet, almost teasing tone.

" Well, there's no harm in a little investigation while I'm here," Sarah Jane replied before turning away, maybe being a bit put off by the fact the Doctor wouldn't stop grinning.

" No, good for you!" He said cheerfully. " Oh, good for you, Sarah Jane Smith!" He watched as his old friend went to go talk to the teachers in the stuffy suits. Selene grinned and playfully punched the Doctor's arm.  
" The world is _very_ strange," She said, mimicking his words from earlier. He grinned down at her and shook his head in disbelief, muttering,

" Sarah Jane Smith…"

OOO

When the bell for the end of the day finally rang and all the students were out of the classroom, Selene collapsed into her desk chair and groaned, putting the copy of Midsummer's Night Dream over her face. The students she was teaching, most of them, just didn't _talk_. They didn't even whisper while she was talking they were just _silent _and that bothered her. After a few moments of silence she willed herself to stand again and leave the school, heading to meet Rose and the Doctor and Mickey, whom she was yet to be formally introduced to, behind the school.

Selene was walking slowly, her head pounding again. It had been hurting on and off for the last two days, clearly still unhappy about the abuse it had gone through. Her body ached a bit still, but it had mostly subsided. Tucking hair behind her ear she looked up at the school building. The fact that everything was real was weird. The fact that Rose, Mickey and the Doctor were all _real_ and that she had spent three days in the Doctor Who world was mind boggling, and probably also a reason for her head still pounding. She kept waiting to wake up in the hospital, but it never happened. She was _actually _there. She was slowly becoming one of the Doctor's companions. One of the things that she was hoping would clear up soon was the fact her memory was a bit addled, like a thick haze cloaked some of her brain.

The group met up behind the school and then went back to the TARDIS, which was actually in a supply closet inside the building, to wait till night fell. Selene finally met Mickey, who fired off close to a million questions about the fact that she was from a different dimension. She answered as best she could with her head the way it felt. What everyone could see was that the Doctor was in a very good mood. No one asked why figuring he just had a good day, and in fact it had been the best day he'd had in weeks.

OOO

Night fell and blanketed the sky, the school drenched in darkness. That was when the four made their way back to the school, quietly slipping, into the stairwell. The Doctor was now wearing his tan coat and Selene and Rose had changed into more comfortable clothes; Rose wore a pale yellow shirt under a zip-up sweatshirt and a pair of comfortable jeans, her hair let down as well. Selene wore the same shirt and shoes she had been wearing earlier, but had switched to a pair of grey jeans along with a leather jacket that had denim sleeves. That was one of the cool things about the TARDIS; she'd been given a room and found a closet full of clothes that fit her. That was both convenient and shocking.

They slipped through a door and began to walk past the staircase.

" Oh, it's weird being seeing school at night. It's just sort of… wrong!" Rose said with a grin as she looked around at the darkened hallways and staircases.

" I know, it feels like there's just something waiting around the corner to kind of jump out at you and get you, right?" Selene said with a small smile of her own.

" Yeah!" Rose said grinning even more at her point. " When I was a kid I used to think all the teachers _slept_ in school!"

" That would be kind of… horrifying." Selene let out a tiny laugh.

" Alright team!" The Doctor said looking at the three in front of him. Then he made a face at his choice of words. " Oh, I hate people who say team… Um… gang? Um… comrades? Um… Anyway, Rose, Selene, go to the kitchen, get a sample of that oil." He looked at Mickey. " Mickey, the new staff are all Maths teachers. Go and check out the Maths department. I'm going to go check out Finch's office. Meet back here in ten minutes," The Doctor said before turning on his heel and running up the stairs, leaving the three to get their bearings of where to go.

" You going to be alright?" Rose asked Mickey. He gave her a look and smirked.

" Me? Please. Infiltration and investigation? I'm an expert at this." He scoffed, walking off, past the two women through a door on the right. Rose bit her lip, smiling and looked over at Selene, who then held up three fingers. She counted down to zero with her fingers and Mickey came back through the door. " Where's the Maths department?"

" Down there, turn left, through the fire doors on your right," Rose said pointing.

" Thank you," Mickey said before departing. Selene laughed a bit and rolled her eyes, swiping hair out of her face.

" To the kitchen?" She asked, pushing her sleeves up a bit.

" To the kitchen!"

Upstairs, the Doctor heard an odd screeching sound along with flapping wings. He tilted his head to one side, brows furrowing in curiosity. He continued walking towards the sound, which happened to be by the headmaster's office… very strange…

Sarah Jane Smith, who had decided to do even more investigating, had broken into the school through a classroom on the first floor. She had been attempting to get into the headmaster's office when she heard a screech that was very much not from anything on earth. She stood quickly, looking around for what made it, but hearing its approach, she quickly decided to go find somewhere to try and hide.

Rose and Selene were making their way towards the kitchen through the dark hallways.

" So, how've you been adjusting?" Rose asked, breaking the slightly awkward silence. Selene thought a moment, quirking her lips to the side for a moment.

" Better than I would have thought I would be when I first got here. It's still just so… _odd_ that this is all real; I mean, last week I was sitting on my couch _watching_ the show on TV and now here I am in the middle of it!" Selene grinned and let out a bit of a laugh. Rose smiled back at her.

" Well, I'm glad you're adjusting so well. Maybe knowing what happens and what all this stuff is has eased it a bit for you," Rose suggested. Selene thought about it for a moment.

" That could very well be true."

" How's your head, by the way?"

" Oh, God…" Selene groaned and rubbed the back of her aching head. " It's been throbbing every once and a while and when it does I feel like I could just curl up in a ball and sleep. However, I don't think that would be a good idea with all this stuff going on." Rose laughed a bit and so did Selene as they finally entered the kitchen.

The walked over to the oil drum that had spilled earlier and the two put on rubber gloves. Rose opened the small opening and dipped a spoon inside, acquiring some of the thick yellow oil. Selene opened a small jar Rose had handed to her on their way there and then they let the thick oil ooz into the container. As the lids went on the drum and the container, both women looked up as they heard something screech and flap around. That wasn't too good of a sign.

Back upstairs, Sarah Jane shut the red supply closet door and turned around, but froze in utter shock in what she saw. The TARDIS sat there, the windows glowing as well as the upper sign. Her eyes widened and she reached behind her back and opened the door, quickly slipping out. She found herself backing away from the door, unaware that the Doctor stood a few feet behind her. She froze, the realization finally settling in. Then she spun around, facing the man she suddenly realized was behind her.

" Hello, Sarah Jane," He said, face calm.

" It's you…" She whispered, looking his face and body over. " Oh, Doctor, it's you! Oh my God, it's you isn't it?" She stepped forward slowly, a smile beginning to pull at her lips. " You've regenerated." A smile finally found it's proper place on her lips. He smiled back.

" Half-a-dozen times since we last met," He admitted.  
" You look…" She looked him over again. " Incredible!"

" So do you."

" I got old," She told him with a tiny laugh. And then she pursed her lips for a moment, looking up at him. " What are you doing here?"

" Well…" The Doctor but his hands in his pockets and looked around. " UFO sightings, school gets record results, I couldn't resist." He smiled a bit at her. " What about you?"

" Same," She told him, grinning. The two laughed and grinned for a moment before the mood turned a bit sour. " I thought you died!" Sarah Jane exclaimed, her smile quickly turning to a saddened frown, eyes tearing up. " I waited for you and you didn't come back, and I thought you must have died!" Her voice was thick with tears at the pained memories she was thinking of. The Doctor's face fell at that.

" I lived. Everyone else died," He told her.

" What do you mean?"

" Everyone died, Sarah," He repeated. She closed her eyes and shook her head, still in shock.

" I can't believe it's you…" She said breathlessly.

There was a rather loud, high-pitched scream that echoed through out the school.

" Okay! Now I can!" She said with a grin. The two, still grinning, bolted off towards the scream.

Rose and Selene ran into the Doctor and Sarah Jane as they all skidded to a stop to avoid an actual collision. Selene and Rose actually ran past them before being able to stop, turning to look at the grinning Doctor.

" Oh!" Rose said. " Did you hear that?" She then saw Sarah Jane and her expression changed to one of confusion. " Who's that?" She asked breathlessly.

" Rose, Sarah Jane. Sarah Jane, Rose. And Selene, to formally introduce you; Selene, Sarah Jane. Sarah Jane, Selene," The Doctor said quickly.

" Wonderful to meet you!" Selene said with a grin, shaking Sarah Jane's hand again. She smiled at her and then turned her attention to Rose.

" Hi, nice to meet you!" Sarah Jane said smiling with a rather tense smile, and holding out a hand. Rose grudgingly shook the woman's hand. Sarah Jane looked at the Doctor. " You can tell you're getting old, your assistants are getting younger."

_Oh boy…_ Selene thought as she cringed when Rose's face went completely offended at the word 'assistant'. This is where the fighting begins.

" We're not… _I'm not_ his _assistant_!" Rose sputtered angrily and out of breath.

" No? Get you, tiger," She said equally as breathless, looking at the Doctor, who was rubbing the back of his head. The Doctor said nothing and rushed forward, the three women following.

Eventually, they found Mickey standing in the doorway of what looked to be a closet with lockers, there just happened to be dozens of _rats_ in bags on the floor. They were dead of course but also vacuum packed as well. He was scrambling around trying to pick them up.

" Sorry! Sorry, it was only me!" He told them in an almost panicked voice, clearly frightened by something. " You told me to investigate so, uh, I started looking through some of these cupboards, and all these fell out on me." He explained as they all gathered around the plastic covered rats. The Doctor picked a few up, looking at them.

" Those are most definitely rats… dead ones at that…" Selene said, nudging one with her foot.

" Vacuum packed rats…" Rose trailed off, staring at them. The Doctor quickly stood and looked down at Mickey.

" And you decided to _scream_?" He asked teasingly, still holding one rat.

" It took me by surprise!" Mickey defended. Selene covered her mouth with her hand, knowing what was coming next, something she always laughed at…

" Like a little girl?" The Doctor asked smiling and scrunching up his face, raising his voice an octave.

" It was dark, I was covered in rats!"

" Nine, maybe ten years old," The Doctor determined. " I'm seeing; pigtails, frilly skirt," He teased as Mickey's hand flew to his head. Selene couldn't help it, she burst out laughing, both hands clamped over her mouth. Everyone looked at her. She shook her head and wiped a tear from underneath her eyes, laughter finally dying off.

" I'm sorry, I'm still trying to suppress being a fan-girl here… Sorry, carry on," Selene dismissed with a wave of her hand, knowing she'd probably have to explain all of it to Sarah Jane who was giving her an odd look from the word 'fan-girl'.

" Hello, can we _focus?_" Asked Rose, looking back down at the rats. " Does anyone notice something strange about this? Rats in school?"

" Well, obviously, they use them in biology, they dissect them," Sarah Jane looked at Rose as if it should be obvious. " Or maybe you haven't reached that bit. How old are you?" The look of utter shock and pure anger that appeared on Rose's face made everyone in the room uncomfortable.

" Excuse me, no one dissects rats in school anymore. They haven't done that in _years_. Where are you from; _the Dark Ages?_" Sarah Jane let out an indignant gasp.

It becoming distinctly clear that the two were purposely insulting each other, and Selene knew they were just starting it.

" _Anyway_, moving on," The Doctor interrupted. " Everything started when Mr. Finch arrived."

" Why don't we go check his office, yes?" Selene asked, gesturing towards the hall. The Doctor nodded in agreement, quickly beginning to lead the way, back turning to the glaring contest Rose and Sarah Jane were having. He tossed the rat he'd been holding to Mickey, who flinched and dropped it.

Selene kept pace with the Doctor; not particularly liking what she knew was coming next. The simplest way to put it was Rose VS Sarah Jane.

" I don't mean to be _rude_ or anything but _who exactly are you?_" Rose asked through gritted teeth as she and Sarah Jane made their way around the Doctor and Selene to walk in front of them.

" Sarah Jane Smith. I used to travel with the Doctor," Sarah Jane informed proudly, looking back at the mentioned Time Lord.

" Oh!" Rose said. " He's never mentioned ya," Sarah Jane looked back at him again.

" Oh, I must've done. Sarah Jane, I mention her all the time!" The Doctor tried to assure, rubbing at his nose as he did so.

" Hold on… Sorry…" Rose pondered. " _Never._"

" _What? _Not even _once? He didn't mention me once?_" Sarah Jane asked in shock. The Doctor slowed his pace down, staring at the two women with an almost scared expression.

" Oh ho, mate! The Missus and the Ex!" Mickey said, placing a hand on his shoulder. " Welcome to every man's worst nightmare!"

" And trust me, Doctor," Selene said, patting his other shoulder. " Just stay out of it for a bit… it'll do some good." He looked down at her, brows furrowed in worry. " Trust me."

They got to the headmaster's office door and the Doctor removed a familiar looking item from his pocket. The Sonic Screwdriver. It was long and white and silver, the top blue. Selene grinned at the sight of it, now having to take in that the Sonic Screwdriver actually _worked_ and that it was, in fact, as real as the people that stood around her. He pointed it at the lock and clicked a button and a whirring and whizzing sound emitted from it as the top lit up blue.

" Maybe those rats were food," The Doctor suggested.

" Food for what?" Rose asked as the lock clicked and he pushed the door open slowly. He glanced up and froze.

" Rose… you know how you used to think tall the teachers slept in the school?" He asked, stepping into the room a bit. Everyone crowded in the doorway, staring up at what looked like thirteen giant, sleeping bats. " Well, they do."

Ana's eyes widened at the sight.

" No way!" Mickey whisper-shouted, bolting from the doorway. Sarah Jane and Rose followed close behind, the Doctor reaching for the door handle, looking at the creatures hanging from the ceiling. Selene stood there for a moment longer, not running. Sure, her brain was actually screaming her to go as fast as her feet could carry her, but she didn't. They were _real_. She was standing in a room… with real aliens. Ones that could kill her. _Really_ kill her. And, quite frankly, she was amazed. Scared, of course, but amazed. Her first real aliens. That'll be something to remember.

The Doctor gently pushed her out of the room before carefully shutting the door, unaware of one of the creatures waking up as the door locked.

Mickey and Rose were the first two out of the school, running as fast as they could. The Doctor, Sarah Jane and Selene were walking fast, but also very calm. The Doctor was actually pretty surprised that Selene hadn't run just as fast as Mickey or Rose had, and that she seemed only a bit put off.

" I am _not_ going back in there, _no way!_" Mickey exclaimed, trying to catch his breath.

" Those were teachers," Rose said in shock.

" When Finch arrived, he brought with him seven new teachers, four dinner-ladies and a nurse. Thirteen. Thirteen big bat people! Come on!" The Doctor explained, turning back towards the school. Everyone but Mickey began to follow.

" Come on, you've got to be kiddin'!" Mickey almost yelled.

" I need the TARDIS. I've got to analyze that oil from the kitchen," The Doctor explained in a manor that should seem like it was obvious. Sarah Jane's face lit up, and when Selene saw that she grinned.

" I might be able to help you there. I've got something to show you!" Sarah Jane exclaimed excitedly, grabbing the Doctor's arm and dragging him towards her car. She unlocked the trunk and everyone looked inside to see something covered in a plaid blanket. The Doctor leaned inside and pulled it off, face splitting into a grin as he saw what sat there.

" K-9!" He exclaimed in a joyous tone. Selene was grinning as well, repressing the urge to jump up and down happily. She love Sarah Jane and K-9 as well, back home she'd also watched the Sarah Jane Adventures as well as Doctor Who, and here K-9 was, sitting in the back of a car! " Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith, Selene Thomas, allow me to introduce K-9; well, K-9 Mark Three, to be precise."

Rose and Mickey looked at each other like the Doctor had gone mad, and also by the look on Selene's face, she'd gone mad as well. In the trunk of Sarah Jane's car was what looked to be a giant, metal, square-ish looking, robot dog. And, in fact, that was exactly what it was. The side had been removed and circuit boards were visible. The exterior metal seemed rusted a bit and looked like it hadn't been turned on for a while.

" Why does he look so… _disco?_" Questioned Rose, her face scrunching up.

" _OI!_" The Doctor scolded loudly, straightening up and turning to face Rose. He looked offended, as did Sarah Jane, whose lips were pursed tightly and a small glare was fixed on Rose. " In the year five-thousand, this was cutting-edge!" He looked back at K-9. " What's happened to him?"

" One day he just… nothing!" Sarah Jane explained.

" Well didn't you try and get him repaired?"

" Doctor, I don't think that there are parts here on earth that could fix K-9," Selene interjected and pointed out the obvious. Sarah Jane nodded in agreement.

" The technology inside him could rewrite human science! I couldn't show him to anyone," Sarah Jane said sadly, looking at her poor robot dog. The Doctor bent down, hands on his knees as he leaned forward, looking at K-9.

" Oh, what's the nasty lady done to you?" He asked in a tone of voice that one might use to speak to a baby in. " Eh?" He pat K-9's head muttering. " Aw!" And then scratched behind what resembled ears. " Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh, shh, shh…"

Selene giggled a bit at the sight, she had to admit the Doctor looked absolutely adorable! Sarah Jane looked over at the three and looked at Rose a bit coldly as well as Mickey, who looked really confused. When she saw the smile on Selene's face as she looked at K-9 as well as the Doctor, the look softened a bit, and she got the feeling that this girl was different…

" Well, no offence, but could you two stop petting for a minute? Never mind the tin dog, we're busy!" Rose said, walking to the side of the car, waiting for the doors to be unlocked. The Doctor grinned and shut the trunk, getting ready to repair an old friend.

They drove to a coffee shop, and on the way there, the Doctor and Sarah Jane, who both sat up front, caught up a bit, which included explaining Selene's comment about 'being a fan-girl'. Selene happily stayed out of the conversation, feeling a bit tired. When they all sat down in the coffee shop, the Doctor and Sarah Jane sat at one table by the window with K-9 on the tabletop, the Doctor beginning to fix him as the two laughed and talked. Selene, Rose and Mickey all went to the counter to get something to eat and drink. Rose was waiting for some chips she'd ordered and was watching the Doctor and Sarah Jane, biting against a plastic fork in her hand.

" What's impressive is that it's nearly been an hour since we've met her and I still haven't said 'I told you so'," Mickey teased with a grin. Rose turned her back on the smiling couple by the window and groaned quietly.

" I'm not listening to this," She muttered, giving a smile to the cashier.

" Though, I have prepared a little 'I was right' dance I can show you later!" He laughed.

" Two quid, love," Said the cashier. Rose handed over her money and received a Styrofoam box of chips, which she eagerly opened as she and Mickey went to go sit with Selene, who was keeping a weary eye on the window. She knew that if she looked up to the roof of the building across the street she would see Mr. Finch standing there. Her brain was finally clearing up, thank God.

" All this time you've been giving it, 'he's different', when the truth is he's just like any other bloke!" Mickey told Rose as they sat with Selene.

" You don't know what you're talking about," Rose muttered, taking a bite of a chip.

" Maybe not. But if I were you, I'd go easy on the chips…" He whispered. Rose gave him a look and Selene looked over at Mickey.

" You didn't seriously just say that did you?" When he said nothing she shook her head rolling her eyes. " You really know how to make a situation better, don't you?" She teased with a smile. She looked over at the Doctor and Sarah Jane, who were still talking as he fixed K-9.

" I thought of you on Christmas Day; this Christmas just gone? Great big spaceship overhead… I thought 'oh yeah, I bet he's up there…'" Sarah Jane whispered remembering the sight.

" Right on top of it, yeah," The Doctor muttered as he held a piece of wire, staring at it for a moment.

" And Rose?"

" She was there too."

" What about Selene?"

" Nah, she wasn't here yet… only been traveling with us for… three days has it been? Not so much of traveling even… only had one trip in the TARDIS thus far." The Doctor put the wire in its proper place, lifting the Sonic Screwdriver to fix something else. Sarah Jane went quiet as the sound of the Sonic pulsed quietly through the air.

" Did I do something wrong, because you never came back for me. You just dumped me," She finally asked, sounding hurt but also curious. The Doctor's brows furrowed.

" I told you; I was called back home and in those days humans weren't allowed," He explained again.

" I waited for you… I missed you…"

" Oh, you didn't need me!" The Doctor told her with a smile, attaching another wire to its proper place and fastening it with the Sonic. " You were getting on with your life!"

" You _were_ my life," Sarah Jane stated clearly. His smile faded as he looked at her, seeing the sadness written across her face. " You know what the most… _difficult_ thing was? Coping with what happens next, no, what _doesn't_ happen next." As she spoke, the Doctor continued to repair K-9, his face blank as he listened to her words. " You took me to the furthest reaches of the galaxy. You showed me supernovas, intergalactic battles, and then you just _dropped me back on earth._ How could _anything_ compare to that?"

" All those things you saw, you… you want me to _apologize_ for that?" He asked in disbelief, staring at her.

" No! But… we get a taste of that splendor, and then we have to go back!" Sarah Jane explained, shaking her head sadly.

" But look at you!" The Doctor smiled at her. " You're investigating! You found that school, you're doing what we always did!"

" You could have come back," She whispered. The Doctor glanced at her from the corner of his eye, face falling again.

" I couldn't…"

" Why not?" There was silence after the hushed words. The Sonic whirred again as the Doctor fixed something else on K-9. Sarah Jane let out a tiny laugh, looking out the window. " It wasn't Croydon. Where you dropped me off; it wasn't Croydon!"

" Where was it?" He asked, eyebrow raised.

" Aberdeen!" She stated loudly and sharply. The Doctor's eyes shifted as he stared off into space for a moment.

" Right… that's _next_ to Croydon, isn't it?" He asked, looking at her. She smiled at him just as a whizzing sound came from K-9. " Oh, hey! _Now_ we're in business!" He yelled out excitedly, tapping the table a few times, jumping up.

Selene was immediately out of her chair and across the café within seconds, leaving Rose and Mickey to give her odd looks again.

" _Master,_" K-9 spoke, his head lifting and nodding a bit.

" He recognizes me!" The Doctor exclaimed with joy, grinning to no end. Sarah Jane grinned as well. " Rose, give us the oil!"

" Selene has it." Rose said, jumping up with Mickey. He looked at Selene, surprised to see she was already standing by the table.

" Right then! Selene, give us the oil!" The Doctor said holding out his hand. She dug around in her pocket a moment, hair falling into her face. She extracted the container and handed it to him with a smile, swiping the strands of hair from her face. The Doctor removed the lid an moved to dip a finger into the yellow oil.

" I w- I wouldn't touch that if I were you… that dinner-lady got all scorched," Warned Rose, gesturing to her neck. The Doctor smirked.

" I'm no dinner-lady," He teased. He paused. " And I don't often say that." He dipped his finger into the oil and something that looked like a tiny plunger extended from K-9's head. He gently rubbed some of the oil onto it before K-9 pulled it back. " Here we go." The Doctor put the container down and crossed his arms. " Come on, boy, here we go."

" _Oil. Ex-ex-ex-extract,_" K-9 stuttered, head bobbing slightly. " _Ana-ana-analyzing._" Selene was grinning at the robot dog, honestly resisting the urge to reach out and pat it. Rose was smiling, not believing the thing still worked, and Mickey just thought it was funny.

" Listen to him, man! That's a voice!" Mickey laughed. The Doctor, Selene and Sarah Jane shot him a look.

" Careful! That's my dog!" Sarah Jane warned. Mickey's smile dropped, as did Rose's in the slightest.

" _Confirmation of analysis; substance is Krillitane oil,_" K-9 informed. The Doctor lifted his head and stared out the window.

" They're Krillitanes…" He muttered.

" Is that bad?" Rose asked, worried with the way the Doctor's face had suddenly darkened.

" Very much so," Selene told her. Selene at least could help explain things, couldn't she? " Think of how bad anything could possibly be,"

" And add another suitcase full of bad." The Doctor added on, face still dark.

" And what are Krillitanes?" Sarah Jane questioned with worry.

" They're a composite race. Just like your culture is a mixture of traditions from different countries, people you've invaded or been invaded by. You've got bits of Viking, bits of France, bits of whatever," The Doctor said with a wave of his hand, noticing he'd gotten off track.

" The Krillitanes are the same, you see. They do all that, but they take… _physical _aspects as well," Selene added on for him, once again earning a surprised look from them all.

" They… _cherry-pick_ the best bits of the people they destroy…" The Doctor muttered with a hint of anger. " That's why I didn't recognize them. The last time I saw Krillitanes they looked _just_ like us, except that had _really_ long necks…"

" What are they doing here?" Rose asked with worry. The Doctor thought for a moment.

" It's the children…" He muttered with worry. " They're doing something with the children." There was a tense pause as they all let that thought sink in.

" I think it may be best if we get some rest. It might be easier to figure out what to do in the morning." Selene suggested, breaking the silence. They all gave a nod of agreement.

Mickey helped Sarah Jane move K-9 back to her car and the Doctor and Rose walked out of the café together, Rose asking him;

" How many of us have there been, traveling with you?" She sounded a bit put off.

" Does it matter?" Asked the Doctor, walking faster.

" Yeah, it does, if I'm just the latest in a long line!" Rose practically spat angrily as she tried to catch up with him.

" As opposed to what?" He asked, turning to face her. She froze, staring up at him, feeling hurt. Was she really just that? Just one in many companions who would be forgotten?

" I thought you and me were…" She trailed off. " I guess I got it wrong. I've been to the year five billion, right, but _this_, _this_ is really seeing the future! You just leave us behind. Is that what you're gonna do to me?" She asked, eyes tearing up. And then something came to Rose's mind; Selene. The Doctor agreed to let her come along _very _quickly. She felt her jaw drop as she thought she'd come to a realization. " And Selene. Oh my God, Doctor, she's my replacement isn't she? You let her come along so you could just leave me behind and already have another one lined up! She's replacing me!" Rose said, voice quavering.

As the Doctor opened his mouth to speak, both were suddenly aware that the café door had just swung closed. They looked over to see Selene staring at the two, hurt clearly written across her face. When she noticed the two staring at her, she quickly looked down, trying to act as if she hadn't heard what Rose had just said. But, it was clear that she had. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, walking towards Sarah Jane's car. Now, she'd like to say that Rose's words didn't hurt her in the least bit, but that would be a lie. Selene was telling herself that she understood why Rose had said it, which she did, but after actually beginning to get to know her, the words had stung.

The Doctor watched Selene walked off and sighed. This was going to be a challenge now… He knew that Selene wasn't Rose's replacement. She was just an addition to the TARDIS, who Rose wanted to come with them. He saw the look of hurt on Selene's face and he knew that obviously she must consider Rose a friend already to be hurt that much by the words. Did she actually think what Rose was saying was the truth?

Rose looked away from the woman who she just blamed to be her future replacement. It seemed horribly probably; the way the Doctor had her be a teacher along with him, the way he smiled and let her come with them so easily. He also seemed impressed with the fact she knew so much about this universe. She wasn't about to let the Doctor replace her. It just wouldn't happen.

He shook his head and looked back at Rose.

" She isn't your replacement, Rose, no one can ever replace you," He told her quietly. " I'm not leaving you behind. Not you."

" But Sarah Jane? You were that close with her once and now… you never even mention her," Muttered Rose, eyes watering. " Why not?"

" I don't age. I regenerate. But humans decay. You _wither _and you _die_. Imagine watching that happen to someone that you…"

" What, Doctor?" Rose questioned, hoping he would finish the sentence. He stared at her for a long moment, eyes turning glassy as well.

" You can spend the rest of your life with me… But I can't spend the rest of mine with you. I have to live on… alone. That's the curse of the Time Lords."

There was a loud screech like the one from the school and they all looked up to see Mr. Finch, like Selene had expected, and a Krillitane standing on the ledge of the roof of the building across the street. The Krillitane swooped down towards the Doctor and Rose, who both stumbled back as the other three rushed forward to push them out of the way. The Krillitane merely glided back up into the sky.

" Was that a Krillitane?" Asked Sarah Jane.

" It didn't even touch her, what did it do that for?" Rose asked breathlessly. They all watched as it flapped away, disappearing into the night.

The car ride back towards the school was… awkward to say the least. Selene sat by the window silently, staring out at the passing buildings. Mickey sat in the middle of the back seat, right between Rose and Selene. No one spoke. No one asked why Selene's usual good mood had suddenly dropped. They just let it be.

OOO

The next morning, just as classes were about to begin, the group pulled into the parking lot in Sarah Jane's car. They stood in the sea of students and the Doctor began to speak the plan he'd come up with.

" Rose and Sarah, you go to the Maths room, crack open those computers, I need to see the hardware inside. Here, you might need this." The Doctor removed the Sonic from an inside coat pocket and held it out to Sarah Jane just as Rose held out her hand for it. She dropped it and clenched her jaw. " Mickey, surveillance, I want you outside," The Doctor said as they began to walk.

" Just stand out side?" Mickey asked in shock.

" Here, take these, you can keep K-9 company," Sarah Jane said, handing Mickey her car keys.

" Don't forget to leave the window open a crack!" Called the Doctor.

" But he's _metal!_"

" I didn't mean him!"

" What're you going to do?" Rose asked the Doctor.

" Selene and I are going to have a word with Mr. Finch," Said the Doctor. Selene raised her eyebrows in surprise. Rose ground her teeth a bit, still not fully believing that the Doctor wasn't planning on replacing her.

Selene and the Doctor were both quiet as they ascended a staircase, searching for the headmaster.

" I don't think she really meant it," The Doctor eventually said. Selene looked up at him confused.

" Pardon?"

" Rose. What she said last night. I don't think she really meant it, she was just a bit put off," The Doctor explained. Selene let out a small sigh and shook her head.

" No, I understand why she said it. Trust me, I do." The Doctor raised an eyebrow. She laughed a bit and nudged his arm. " I do! Take it from me, I'm the one who knows what's happened prior to this and what's also to come. It just hurt. You know, she seemed like one of the first people to actually be nice to me in this dimension so I thought she trusted me," She said and gave a shrug.

The Doctor nodded, knowing she had a point. They stopped by a railing as hey saw Mr. Finch turn and look up at them. There was a glare-off moment before the headmaster walked away.

" He's headed to the pool," Selene informed, turning on her heel and walking towards the nearest door. The Doctor smirked at the excitement he could tell she was hiding.

When they found the swimming pool, they walked in, spotting Mr. Finch leaning up against the wall across the pool. He looked up at the two.

" Who are you?" The Doctor asked as they stopped walking by the edge of the pool.

" My name is Brother Lassar. And you?" He asked.

" Selene Thomas," Selene said, standing just a bit behind the Doctor.

" The Doctor," The Doctor replied. " Since when did Krillitanes have wings?

" It's been our form for nearly ten generations now," Mr. Finch explained, beginning to walk along the length of the pool. " Our ancestors invaded Bessan. The people there had some rather lovely wings. They made a million widows in one day, just imagine!" Mr. Finch said with a smile.

" And now your shape's human," The Doctor said, he and Selene now standing directly across the pool from him.

" A personal favorite… that's all."

" What about the other ones?" Selene asked, crossing her arms.

" My brothers remain bat form. What you see is a simple morphic illusion," He began to explain. The Doctor nodded, understanding what he was saying. " Scratch the surface, and the true Krillitane lies underneath. And what of the Time Lords? I always thought of you as such a… _pompous _race. Ancient, dusty senators, so frightened of change… and chaos. And of course, they're all extinct! Only you; the last!"

The three now stood a few feet away from each other, the pool no longer acting as a barrier between them. Selene kept a careful eye on Mr. Finch, not knowing if anything drastic would change simply because she was there.

" This plan of yours, what is it?" The Doctor asked.

" You don't know."

" That's why I'm asking."

" Well, show me how _clever_ you are, work it out," Mr. Finch insisted. He walked over so he was probably a foot or so away from the Doctor, staring at him intently, not even registering Selene's presence.

" If I don't like it then it will stop," The Doctor informed calmly.

" Fascinating! Your people were peaceful to the point of indolence." Mr. Finch's head tilted to the left. " You seem to be something new. Would you declare _war_ on us, Doctor?"

" I'm so old now. I used to have so much mercy. You get _one warning_." The Doctor began to back away, beginning to turn, taking Selene's arm gently. " That was it." Just as the two were about to leave, Mr. Finch sniffed and turned to look at Selene, smiling.

" And, Selene, I believe you said your name was." She froze when her name passed through his lips. She looked back at him, noticing the smile. " You're different as well. So different… You're human, but there's something… special about you. Am I right, Doctor?" The Doctor turned and glared at Finch, his jaw clenching. He pushed Selene, who was shaking, behind him with one arm.

" Leave her alone, she has nothing to do with this," The Doctor warned protectively. Mr. Finch raised an eyebrow.

" Oh, she has everything to do with this; she's with you, isn't she? Soon, you'll both embrace us. The next time we will meet, you'll both join with me.," He said with a smile. " I promise you." And with that said, the headmaster left the room, smiling to himself. The Doctor watched him leave, moving in front of Selene till he was out of sight.

" Well, I certainly wasn't expecting _that_ to happen," Selene whispered, tucking a curly strand of hair behind her ear. The Doctor turned to face her.

" You didn't know about that conversation?" He asked.

" No, no I knew about it, it was in the show… I just didn't expect him to talk to _me_," She explained further shaking her head. " That he was going to know that I'm not technically a normal human. And now knowing that he wants _me_, it's kind of the only thing thus far that's scared me…" The Doctor put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

" I wasn't going to let him hurt you. He won't get you, I'll make sure of it. But he's right you know. You are special." He smiled at her. " Come on, lets go see how Sarah and Rose are doing."

Selene laughed.

" Oh, this'll be good…" She muttered to herself.

OO

" Oh!" Sarah Jane groaned as the Sonic Screwdriver refused to work. She stood from where she'd been kneeling by a tangle of wires and tapped the Sonic against the palm of her hand. The computer wouldn't turn on. " It's not working!"

" Here, give it to me," Rose said in a bored tone, taking the Sonic from Sarah Jane's hand. She got out of the chair she'd been sitting in and knelt where Sarah Jane had just been.

" Used to work first time in my day."

" Well, things were a lot simpler back then," Rose spat, as she clicked a button on the Sonic and it whirred to life.

" Rose, can I give you a bit of advice?" Sarah Jane asked from where she was leaning against a row of computers.

" I've got a feeling you're about to…"

" I know how intense a relationship with the Doctor can be, and I don't want you to think I'm intruding."

" I don't feel threatened by you, if that's what you mean," Rose informed her with a fake smile.

" Right! Good! 'Cause I'm _not _interested in picking up where we left off," She said, looking down at Rose.

" No? With the big sad eyes and the robot dog what else were you doing last night?" Rose asked, tone biting.

" I was just saying how hard it was adjusting to life back on earth," Sarah Jane explained. Rose stood quickly, back to the woman behind her.

" The thing is, when you two met, they only just got rid of rationing. No wonder all that space stuff was a bit too much for you." Rose toyed around with the Sonic as she spoke.

" I had _no problem_ with space stuff!" Sarah Jane said angrily a she quickly stood straight, glaring at the young blond, who spun to face her. " I saw things you wouldn't believe!"

" Try me," Rose said.

" Mummies!"

" I've met ghosts."

" Robots; lots of robots," Sarah Jane informed.

" Slitheen in Downing Street," Rose shot back.

" Daleks!"

" Met the emperor!" Rose laughed.

" Anti-matter monsters!"

" Gas-masked zombies!"

" Real living _dinosaurs!_" Sarah Jane practically yelled, her voice lifting an octave.

" Real living _werewolf!_"

" _The__ Loch Ness Monster!_" Sarah Jane finally shouted.

" Seriously?" Rose asked in surprised. Sarah Jane covered her mouth and shook her head, surprised at herself. Rose shook her head as well, laughing a bit. " Listen to us. It's like me and my mate Shireen. The only time we fell out was over a man and we're arguing over the Doctor." Sarah Jane let out a little laugh as she sat down on one of the computer tables. " With you, did he ever do that thing where he'd explain something at ninety miles per hour, and you go 'what' and he'd look at you just dribbled on his shirt?"

" All the time!" Sarah Jane said with a laugh, happy someone else experienced that and not just her. The two laughed for a moment. " Does he still stroke bits of the TARDIS?"

" Yes!" Rose laughed, pointing at Sarah Jane as the two burst into laughter. " Yeah, he does! And I'm like 'do you two wanna be alone?'" The two laughed at her joke just as Selene and the Doctor walked through the door.

" How's it going?" He asked as they approached the two women, who were just about in hysterics. When they looked at him they laughed harder, and Selene began to laugh as well, knowing exactly what they had been talking about. The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

" What?" He asked. " Listen, I need to figure out what's programmed inside these." Rose was pointing to him with the Sonic, laughter causing her stomach to hurt. Selene was hugging her sides due to the fact she was beginning to laugh so hard. The Doctor looked down at her and then up at the other two women. " What?" When no one answered his voice turned into a whine. " Stop it!"

They kept laughing till they couldn't anymore, wiping tears from their cheeks.

" You didn't even know what they were talking about!" The Doctor said to Selene. She laughed once more and shook her head.

" Oh, no, I did," She told him.

" What was it then?"

" Like I'm telling you!" She laughed, playfully punching his arm. He sighed and rolled his eyes at her, liking her attitude and personality a bit more each second she talked to him.

" Okay, have you made any progress?" The Doctor asked, walking over to the computers.

" No, the Sonic wasn't working on anything." Rose explained, handing it to him. Snatching it back, the Doctor began to work on the wiring as the loudspeaker buzzed on again.

_**All pupils to class immediately. And would all members of staff congregate in the staff room. **_

" Well, they'll be in need of new staff very, very soon." Selene muttered, shaking her head as she helped the Doctor sift through a mess of cables.

Rose ran to the door of the classroom they were in and opened the doors, shooing the oncoming crowd of kids away, telling them to go to the South Hall due to the fact that the classroom was out of bounds.

The Doctor pulled up some wires and cables and wrapped them around his shoulders, the Sonic held between his lips. He held a CPU in his hands and as he used the Sonic on it, nothing happened.

" I can't shift it," He muttered, staring at it.

" I thought the Sonic Screwdriver could open anything," Sarah Jane said in confusion.

" Anything except a dead-lock seal," He explained, lifting the CPU to stare at it. " There's got to be something inside here! What are they teaching those kids?"

Selene was helping shift cables and wires around so nothing got too tangled, and mentally she thought 'I could just tell them, couldn't I?' But then she remembered she couldn't; not only could it screw up the future, she could potentially rip a hole in the fabric of the universe.

_Well, that sucks._ She thought to herself, standing again.

After a few moments, all the computer screens lit up in a bright green color. Letters and numbers clearly not from earth popped up and whizzed around, showing some sort of code.

" You wanted the program… here it is." Sarah Jane said as she, Selene and Rose all peered at a computer screen. The Doctor spun around to look at a large screen at the front of the room.

" Some sort of code…" He muttered. His eyes widened and he began to shake his head. " No… No, they _can't_ be!"

OO

Outside in Sarah Jane's car, Mickey was staring glumly out the window. Stuck in the car with a metal dog… great. Of course _he_ gets stuck with the practically useless job. Like he can do anything from out there! He glanced out the window on his left and saw one lone student pounding on the entrance doors. Noticing the distress on the boy's face, he got out of the car and ran over.

" They've taken them all!" The boy, Kenny, shouted to Mickey.

" What?"

" They've taken all the children!"

Knowing that wasn't at all good, Mickey ran back to the car, yanking the blanket off of K-9. He began to press random colored buttons on the robot dog's back, hoping one would turn him on.

" Come on, I need some help!" Mickey said frantically. When nothing worked, he angrily punched the back of K-9's head. After a moment, K-9 whirred and lifted his head.

" _System restarting. All primary drives functioning,_" K-9 spoke. Mickey grinned.

" You're working! Okay, no time to explain, we need to get inside the school. Do you have like, I don't know, a lock picking device?" Mickey asked hopefully.

" _We are in a car,_" K-9 stated, bobbing his head.

" Maybe a drill attachment?"

" _We are in a car._"

" Fat lot of good you are!" He spat with aggravation.

" _We are in a car,_" K-9 stated one last time.

" Wait a second," Muttered Mickey. " We're in a car." He turned to Kenny. " Get back!" He shouted, scrambling to go get in the driver's seat.

OO

" The Skasis Paradigm. They're trying to crack the _Skasis Paradigm_."

" The Skasis _what?_" Sarah Jane asked, beginning to sound worried again.

" The… God Maker, the Universal Theory. Crack the equation, you've got control of the building blocks of the universe. Time and space and matter; yours to control," The Doctor stated, worry in his voice.

" And the children are like a computer…" Selene said, staring at the shifting shapes on the large screen in front of them.

" Yes! And their learning power is being accelerated by the oil! That oil from the kitchens; it works as a… a… conducting agent it makes the kids cleverer," The Doctor stated in a grim voice, gripping a table.

" But that oil's on the chips, I've been eating them," Rose said.

" What's fifty nine times thirty five?" Selene and the Doctor asked at the same time, both giving each other a look for a moment.

" Two thousand sixty-five," Rose responded immediately. The Doctor gave her a look. " Oh my God…"

" But why use children? Can't they use adults?" Sarah Jane asked.

" No, it has to be children… the God Maker needs imagination to crack it… They're not just using the children's _brains_ to crack the code…" The Doctor sighed, and paced around for a moment. " They're using their souls."

Mr. Finch stepped into the room, his shiny black leather shoes clicking on the floor.

" Let the lesson begin," He said. They all looked at him, Selene backing away from the man, stepping a bit closer to Sarah Jane, who noticed the look on the young woman's face. She took Selene's hand and squeezed it comfortingly. Selene gave her a grateful smile, turning her attention back to Mr. Finch.

" Think of it, Doctor, with the Paradigm solved, reality becomes clay in our hands. We can shape the universe and improve it!" Mr. Finch stepped closer to the Doctor.

" Oh yeah, all of creation with the face of Mr. Finch. Call me old fashioned but I like things the way they are," The Doctor said in a monotone.

" You act like such a _radical _and yet all you want to do is preserve the old order?" He asked, scrunching up his eyebrows. " Think of the changes that could be made if this power was used for good!"

" What, by someone like you?" The Doctor asked with a smirk.

" No," He whispered. " Someone like _you_." The Doctor's smile fell. " The Paradigm gives us power, but you could give us wisdom." He looked at Selene. " And you, my dear, you could go home. You could return to where you truly belong. This young woman only feet away from you," He looked at Rose, " only blames your presence here. She no longer wishes you to stay." Selene glanced over at Rose, who looked at the ground, a guilty look on her face, eyes closed. " You could go back to your family, who probably think you dead."

" Selene, don't listen to him." Sarah Jane begged her.

" She's right, Selene, he's only trying to get into your head." The Doctor called back to her, catching the painful and saddened look that marred her face along with her tears. His two hearts felt like they were going to break. He knew how she must feel… he' lost so many people in the time he was alive…

_My family… I could see my family again. I could go home and all of this would end…_ She thought to herself.

" Become a God at my side, Doctor. Imagine what you could do, think of the civilizations you could save; Perganon, Ascinta, _your own people_, Doctor, standing tall, the Time Lords… reborn!"

" Doctor, don't listen to him!" Sarah Jane stepped forward.

" And you could be with him through out eternity; young, fresh, never wither, never age, never die," Mr. Finch said walking towards the three women, who backed up again. " Their lives are so fleeting. So many goodbyes. How _lonely_ you must be, Doctor. Join us!"

" I could save everyone," The Doctor muttered, staring at the three humans in front of him.

" Yes!"

" I could stop the war," He whispered, unblinking. Mr. Finch smiled at him.

" No!" Came Sarah Jane's shaky voice. " The universe _has_ to move forward! Pain and loss they define us as much as happiness or love." The Doctor looked over at her as she spoke, Mr. Finch's face falling. " Whether it's a world or a relationship, everything has its time and everything ends."

The words finally penetrated his brain and he knew she spoke the truth. Angrily rushing forward he snatched a blue plastic chair and tossed it at the screen at the front of the room. It shattered completely, glass falling everywhere.

" OUT!" The Doctor shouted as they all fled the room, leaving Mr. Finch behind.

They all ran out into the hall and tried to find their way to some place safe as they heard all the Krillitanes screeching. Selene furiously wiped the tears from her face, still feeling the hurt that had been caused by Mr. Finch's words. They scrambled down the steps and ran into Mickey and Kenny.

" What's going on?" Mickey asked in a panic as they all looked down the hall to see a group of Krillitanes advancing on them. They had leathery looking skin, and the one that seemed to be leading them all had black skin rather than the others, which were a more orange-pink like tone. Their long arms and legs propelled themselves off the walls as they came towards the Doctor and his companions.

The aforementioned group turned and ran towards the canteen, hopefully able to escape them there. Once inside the canteen, they ran swiftly towards the doors on the opposite end of the room, only to find that they were locked. The Doctor was just about to grab the Sonic, but froze as Mr. Finch strode in, looking very angry, the Krillitanes following him.

" Are they my teachers?" Asked Kenny as he stared at the creatures in shock.

" Yeah, sorry," The Doctor said as he watched them fly about.

" We need the Doctor and his friend Selene alive. As for the others? You can feast," Spat Mr. Finch. The Doctor quickly grabbed a chair to use as a defense mechanism as the Krillitanes prepared to attack. The Doctor slashed at the air with his chair as Sarah Jane, Selene and Rose fell to the floor along with Mickey and Kenny. Rose moved to protect Kenny if needed. Selene kicked at a Krillitane as it tried to grab at her. She smirked as she landed a good kick to its chest and it screeched, soaring away before coming right back. Everyone was being attacked by the aliens and Mr. Finch watched, waiting for it to end.

Just as a Krillitane was about to swoop down to kill, a laser hit it and it exploded, causing Finch to open his mouth and roar in anger. Everyone saw that the laser beam had come from none other than;

" K-9!" Sarah Jane exclaimed happily as she bean to stand. Everyone slowly stood and stared at the robot dog.

" _Suggest that you engage running mode, Mistress,_" K-9 suggested, beginning to roll towards Sarah Jane.

" Come on!" The Doctor shouted as his chair was yanked from his hands by a Krillitane. They began to run towards the unlocked doors as more laser beams flew into the air. " K-9, hold them off!"

" _Affirmative, Master,_" K-9 agreed, and as they bolted from the room, they heard him say, " _Maximum defense mode!_"

" Come on!" The Doctor urged everyone into a room before shutting the door and locking it with the Sonic. It turned out they were in the Physics classroom the Doctor had been teaching in, and everyone sat down, attempting to catch their breath.

" We need to figure out _some way_ to stop them," Rose said as she swiped some hair from her face.

" You do remember that-" Selene began but was cut off.

" I _know_ there's a way, but I just can't think of it!" Groaned the Doctor, leaning against the counter. Sighing, Selene raised her hand as if she were a student.

" If I may speak?" She asked. " You do remember that the Krillitanes burned when the oil spilled on them? The oil from the kitchens, they can't handle it." Selene reminded everyone. Rose quickly jumped up. The Doctor grinned.

" That's it!" He exclaimed. " They change their physiology so often, even their own oil is toxic to them! Great job, Selene!" He grinned at her before looking back at Rose. " How much was there in the kitchen?"

" Barrels of it," Rose said. They all looked at the door as something screeched behind it and holes slowly began to form in the wood of it. All standing, they began to back away from the door.

" Okay, we need to get to the kitchens," The Doctor informed, a thoughtful look on his face. " Mickey," He began to say.

" What now, hold the coats?" He asked sarcastically as well as in annoyance.

" Get all the children unplugged and out of the school," The Doctor told him, much to Mickey's surprise.

" Now then… bats, bats, bats; how do we fight bats?" The Doctor pondered. Rose, Mickey and Selene all watched as Kenny ran over to the fire alarm and broke it using his elbow. The bell began to ring harshly, causing the Krillitanes to flinch in pain, falling to the floor. The Doctor laughed and flung the door open and everyone ran past the creatures and Mr. Finch, who proceeded to punch a hole in the wall and yank out some electrical cords, stopping the bell from ringing.

As they ran towards the kitchen, a familiar electronic voice said,

" _Master._" The Doctor froze and pat K-9's head.

" Come on, boy! Good boy!" He said as he continued to run down the hall, K-9 rolling after him. Mickey ducked into a classroom to do his job as the others ran towards the kitchen.

" Okay, listen everyone, we've got to get out of here!" Mickey insisted, staring at all the students. No one looked up. No one listened. They all had headphones on and their eyes were trained on the flashing screens, fingers punching at keys. Mickey walked over to one student, Melissa, and waved a hand in front of her face. No reaction. So, maybe this wouldn't be as easy as he would have hoped…

Back in the kitchens, the Doctor attempted to open the oil drums.

" They've been deadlock-sealed, Doctor, it isn't going to work," Selene said as he tried two different barrels. He groaned in frustration.

" She's right! The Sonic won't open them! Finch must have done that, I can't open them!" The Doctor sighed.

" _The vats would not withstand a direct hit from my laser, but my batteries are failing,_" K-9 said as everyone turned to look at him.

" Right, everyone out the back door," The Doctor ordered, gesturing to the only way out. " K-9, stay with me." Selene gave a K-9 a pat as she passed and then followed the others out the door, all of them glancing back at the Doctor and the robot dog.

Mickey was trying to stop the computer program from one large computer in the center of the room, but found that it was no use. But then he saw something lining the walls, something that housed all the wires for the computers. He followed it with his eyes till he found a tangle of black cables hanging from a ceiling… that were plugged into the wall. He walked over to the outlet, looked around, shrugged and then bent over, unplugging it. There was a brilliant burst of sparks as the program died and the students stopped typing.

" Everyone out! Now!" He called out again, and this time, they all listened. They stood and began to leave the room. " Come on, move! Lets go, lets go!"

The Doctor began to move all the oil drums together after fixing K-9's battery.

" _Capacity for only one shot, Master. For maximum impact, I must be stationed directly beside the vat,_" K-9 informed the Doctor, who ran over and crouched in front of him.

" But you'll be trapped inside!"

" _That is correct_."

" I can't let you do that," The Doctor said mournfully.

" _No alternative possible, Master,_" K-9 informed. There was a screeching as the Krillitanes got closer. The Doctor looked behind him before looking back at K-9.

" Goodbye, old friend," He said sadly.

" _Goodbye, Master,_" K-9 returned the goodbye. The Doctor paused before saying,

" You good dog!"

" _Affirmative!_" His ears wiggled, as did his tail. The Doctor pat the side of his head before standing and running from the room, saddened that he had to leave behind another friend. He exited through the back door and slammed the door shut, locking it with the Sonic.

" Where's K-9?" Sarah Jane asked from where she stood by the door.

" We have to run," The Doctor urged.

" Where is he? What've you done?!" Sarah Jane exclaimed in a panic. The Doctor had to grab her around the waist and force her to run. He took her hand as they fled through an alleyway, towards the front of the school.

Back inside, Finch, along with the other Krillitanes, all in human form, entered the kitchen.

" When you find them, eat them if you must, but bring me their brains," Finch instructed, referring to both Selene and the Doctor. They all walked towards the back, where they then found all the vats of oil… and that robot dog.

" The little dog with the nasty bite…" Finch teased. " Not so powerful now, are you?"

K-9's response simply was to activate his laser, and he shot the vats of oil. They exploded, the oil coating everything in the room. The Krillitanes began to scream as they were burned, smoke coming off their skin and filling the room. Finch clenched his jaw and glared.

" You bad dog," He spat.

" _Affirmative,_" Was K-9's cheerful response.

Everyone stood in the parking lot, watching as the school practically exploded, the windows shattering, destroying the interior of half the school. The students jumped up and down with joy as papers rained down from the sky, excited that, well, there was no more school. At the back of the crowd, Mickey and Rose cheered as well, receiving hugs from some students.

" Yes!" Kenny exclaimed happily.

" Did you have something to do with it?" Melissa asked him.

" Yeah, I did." He said proudly. She grinned.

" Kenny blew up the school! It was Kenny!" She said, dragging him into the crowd. Everyone cheered for him and he smiled.

The Doctor looked down at Sarah Jane, who had tears in her eyes.

" I'm sorry," He told her.

" It's fine he was just a… daft metal dog, I'm fine… really," She replied, her voice breaking. The Doctor knew her better than that, so he pulled her into a hug as she began to cry.

Rose looked at the two and looked away, stepping forward to stand beside Mickey, who wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Selene stood off to the side staring at the school, head still buzzing with the fact that she probably never would see her family again… That would be hard to come to terms with. Looking back over at Rose, Mickey, Sarah Jane and the Doctor, she couldn't help but think that maybe she should just leave. Walk away and disappear; it's not like she had to be a part of _their_ time line. She could go off and get a job and live here, not intrude on their world.

Selene shoved her hands in her pockets, blowing hair out of her face, she looked off and tried to make up her mind. Leave or stay?

" Hey, get over here, don't act so distant!" The Doctor called over to her, gesturing for her to come over. Giving a small smile she walked back over. " You were brilliant, you know that?"

" Ph!" Selene shook her head rolling her eyes. " Only because I knew what would happen."

" No, you were brave," Sarah Jane told her, giving her a smile as she wiped away a few more tears off her cheeks. " Even if you did know, this time it was _real_. I saw you kick that Krillitane."

" Thanks," Selene said and smiled a bit. The Doctor smiled and rubbed Sarah Jane's back, knowing that he'd make it up to her.

OOO

Later that day, Sarah Jane walked through a park, towards the TARDIS. She had changed and was now wearing a black leather jacket, blue shirt, jeans and heeled boots. She strode towards it and as she did, the Doctor stepped out. He smiled at her.

" Cuppa tea?" He asked, nodding towards the still open door of the TARDIS. She smiled and he stepped back allowing her inside. She gasped and grinned as she walked up the metal ramp, touching one of the columns that looked like a piece of coral that surrounded the room. She turned and grinned at the Doctor.

" You've redecorated!"

" Do you like it?" He asked, stepping inside.

" Oh, I-I do, yeah," Sarah Jane said as she stepped up to the console. " I preferred it as it was, but, it'll do."

" I love it," Rose said from where she stood beside Mickey and Selene. She'd changed into a pink t-shirt, her sweat shirt no longer present.

" Hey, you! What's… forty-seven times three hundred sixty-nine?" Sarah Jane asked with a smile.

" No idea," Rose informed happily. " It's gone now, the oil's faded."

" But you're still clever. More than a match for _him_," She said, nodding towards the Doctor. Rose smiled at Sarah Jane.

" You and me both," Rose responded. Selene smiled a bit and looked over to the Doctor, who was flicking switches.

" Doctor?" She asked, smiling. He looked up.

" Oh! Uh, we're about to head off, but… you could come with us," The Doctor offered, smiling. Sarah Jane looked at the Doctor, and then to Rose and finally to Selene. She shook her head.

" I can't do this anymore," She told them. " Besides, I've got a much bigger adventure ahead! Time I stopped waiting for you and found a life of my own." The Doctor smiled a bit and nodded once.

" Can I come?" Asked Mickey, earning a look from Sarah Jane. " Not with you! I mean with_ you_," He said, pointing to the Doctor. " 'Cause I'm not the tin dog. I wanna see what's out there."

" Oh, go on, Doctor! Sarah Jane Smith, a Mickey Smith, you need a Smith on board!" Urged Sarah Jane with a grin. The Doctor crossed his arms and smiled a bit.

" Okay then, I could do with a laugh," Said the Doctor. Mickey grinned and gave Selene a quick hug out of happiness. He then turned to Rose, who had her arms crossed and was looking off.

" Rose, is that okay?" Mickey asked.

" No, great, why not?" She muttered. There was a tense pause.

" Then I better go," Said Sarah Jane, taking Rose off to the side.

" What do I do? Do I stay with him?" Rose asked.

" Yes," Sarah Jane told her. " Some things are worth getting your heart broken for." She gave the younger woman a hug. " Find me, if you need to one day, find me." Sarah Jane turned her attention to Selene who was walking aimlessly around the other side of the console, staring up at the ceiling and glancing down at the console. " And for what it's worth… I don't think she means any harm." She smiled at Rose before walking over to Selene, who smiled at her, opening her arms.

" Ah, give me hug!" She said with a laugh. Sarah Jane laughed as well and gave her a tight hug. " It was truly great to meet you, Sarah."

" It was wonderful to meet you as well, Selene. And, I know it'll be hard for you, not seeing your family," She told her. Selene gave a sad smile and nodded.

" I feel like I should leave… I feel like I probably shouldn't belong here, but at the same time I kind of feel… at home," Selene muttered. Sarah Jane smiled and put a hand on her shoulder.

" Stay. You fit in wonders here. You'll enjoy it. And, I think that one day, you might end up being something special to the Doctor," Sarah Jane said with a smile. " Stick around and you'll find out."

With one last hug, Sarah Jane turned towards the doors and stepped out with the Doctor.

" It's daft, but I haven't ever thanked you for that time," Sarah Jane said to the Doctor as they stopped outside of the TARDIS. And like I said, I wouldn't have missed it for the world!"

" Something to tell the grandkids?" He asked with a smile.

" Oh, I think it'll be someone else's grandkids now."

" Right, yes, sorry," The Doctor said sheepishly looking at his feet for a moment. " I didn't get a chance to ask. You haven't?"

" Hm?"

" There hasn't been anyone? You know?"

" Well, there was this one guy. I traveled with him for a while. But, he was a… tough act to follow," She told him, voice breaking a bit. The two smiled and laughed a bit. " Goodbye, Doctor."

" Oh, it's not goodbye!" The Doctor said dismissively, smiling.

" Say it, please," She begged. " This time, say it…"

" Goodbye…" He muttered, voice a bit sad. Then he broke out into a grin. " My Sarah Jane!" He pulled her into a hug, picking her up off the ground for a moment before setting her down again. Smiling at each other one last time, the Doctor stepped back inside, shutting the door behind him. She'd always have a bit of him with her… especially since he'd rebuilt K-9 for her. Just a bit of a surprise as they left.

As the Doctor began to ramble on about where they should go next as he tossed levers and switches around, Rose stepped over to Selene, who was leaning against a railing.

" Hey…" Rose murmured. Selene smiled a bit.

" Hey," She replied, fixing the sleeve of the off-white shirt she'd changed into that had the Beatles on the front of it.

" Listen, I want to apologize for what you heard me saying last night. I guess I was getting a bit worried, you know?" Rose apologized, leaning against the railing beside her.

" Rose, it's fine. I understand why you said it, trust me, I do." Selene told her smiling a bit. " I'd never dream of replacing you. The Doctor wouldn't dream of replacing you. I'm just a freaky person who materialized in the middle of a street," She joked, laughing a bit. Rose laughed as well.

" So, you forgive me?"

" Of course I do! Give me a hug!" Selene teased with a grin, holding out her arms. Rose laughed and hugged Selene, knowing she'd earned a friend and the Doctor looked over smiling as he pulled a lever, the engines of the TARDIS waking up. Just as Rose knew she'd gotten a friend, he did too; he'd gained a friend and a brand new companion.

" So!" Selene said with a grin, turning to face everyone. " Where to next?"

_**Chapter dedication to Sarah Jane Smith's portrayer, Elizabeth Sladen 1968-2011**_

_**Afterword: There's chapter two! =D Sorry if the length bothers anyone, but I figured that each chapter should be an episode, because otherwise I would have WAY too many chapter way too fast… but I hope you enjoyed it! Sorry if Selene might have been a bit not so involved, I'm still getting a hang of putting her in, but the next chapter will be better!**_

_** REVIEW RESPONSES/THANKING TIME! =D**_

**grapejuice101:**_ Thanks so much for helping me out with this chapter! It means a lot you're interested in it! Thanks so much for the review as well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter/episode! Thanks again!_

**LadySurvivor:**_ Hey, guess what? "The Sonic Says Speech Tags!" I fixed them all, I think… I'll go over it with the Sonic… ANYWAY, I hope you liked it and I'm glad you reviewed! Thanks again!_

**Mathea2005:**_ I hope you liked the chapter! Hope it wasn't too long either, I describe things a lot XD Thanks again!_

**notwritten:**_ I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks for the review!_

**sieni1:**_ Thanks so much! I'm glad you think it rocks, and I'm slowly gaining confidence! Thanks again, hope you enjoyed it!_

**Goodwolf1011:**_ Thanks! The moment I realized I wanted to do a fic for Doctor Who, I went and rewatched all of them and planned things out in my head! I'm glad you like it so far! Hope you liked the chapter!_

**Gamerlady123:**_ Ahaha! If I were in Selene's situation I would have to remind myself not to be a fan-girl each time I looked at the Doctor XD Same with my friends as well! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!_

**Phantom's Ange:**_ Hope you liked the chapter! I'm glad you've liked it so far! Thanks again!_

**Guest:**_ I hope you liked the update and thank you so, so much for the review!_

**buttercup5764**_: I hope you liked the Doctor/Selene scenes I put in there! I hope you'll keep reading! Thanks again!_

**And thank you so, so much to those who have added this to their favorites/story alerts! It means so much, especially with this story!**

** Okay, thank you all who have endured the length of this chapter! Hope it's not too long, if it is, I'll practice writing less and probably break them into halves… we'll see… But I hope you enjoyed! Nice reviews would be loved to let me know how I'm doing! Thanks again, hope you enjoyed!**

**~Mary**


	3. The Girl In The Fireplace

_Disclaimer: I do NOT own Doctor Who; the worlds, the creatures, the companions, the stories, and, saddest of all, I do not own the Doctor =( I only own my OC Selene._

3. The Girl in the Fireplace

_**Versailles, 1700s**_

__Dozens of party guests from the ball ran screaming down the corridors, skirts swishing violently, shoes clunking unceremoniously, screams echoing off the walls. They were running from the most _inhuman_ things that they'd ever encountered. The clicking and creaking proceeded to follow them as the creatures got closer.

" We are under attack!" A man in a rich red coat announced as he strode into a bedroom towards the elegantly dressed and gorgeous blond woman who stood before the mantelpiece of a fireplace. " There are creatures. I don't even think they're human, we can't stop them!" He stopped by the woman's side and looked at her. The woman's eyes were locked on a broken clock set atop the mantelpiece.

" The clock is broken," She stated. " They're coming."

" Did you hear what I said?!" The man demanded, becoming frantic. He took her arm and the woman turned to face him, all movements calm and elegant.

" Listen to me. There is a man and most likely a woman as well coming to Versailles, they have watched over me my whole life and he will _not_ desert me tonight," She stated strongly, staring up at him. The man gave her an incredulous look.

" What are you talking about, what man?"

" The only man, save you, I have _ever_ loved." The man before her made a face and opened his mouth to say something, but she hurriedly cut him off. " No, don't look like that, there's no time. You have your duties. I am your Mistress. Go to your Queen." She quickly knelt by the fireplace and peered into the blazing flames.

" Are you there?" She called into the fireplace, face worried. " Can you hear me? I need you now, you promised! The clock on the mantel is broken! It is time! Doctor! Doctor!"

OoOoO

_**3000 Years Later**_

_**On the TARDIS**_

" So, I'm sorry, but you're really like a psychic, you can tell what's going to happen in the future!" Mickey said for what was probably the hundredth time, an unbelieving smile on his face. Selene laughed and rolled her eyes.

" Yes, Mickey, I can 'tell the future'. But It's not 'cause I'm gifted I'm just… weird," Selene said with a laugh, leaning against the railing, facing the TARDIS console.

" So, you could tell me my future."

" I could. But I won't." Selene smiled at him. Mickey's brow scrunched.

" Why not?"

" Oh, you know, if I told you I could probably rip a hole in the fabric of the universe and kill every existing thing ever," Selene said dead serious yet oh-so casually as she fixed the bottom of her t-shirt. Mickey stared at her, wide eyed and looked over to Rose, who stood beside the brunette woman. Rose nodded. He looked at the Doctor who was smirking at the look on Mickey's face.

" Oh yeah, she's right. She's done very well on not giving anything away yet, it's very impressive," The Doctor confirmed with a nod, smiling. Selene gave a theatrical bow, sweeping her right foot behind her left.

" Thank you, Doctor!" She said with a smile, straightening up and earned a laugh from the three in the TARDIS. The Doctor continued to fiddle with levers and buttons, fixing the sleeve of his brown pinstriped suit-jacket. He changed his button down shirt to a dark blue one, knotting a black tie that had blue swirls crossing it underneath the collar.

Rose bumped Selene's shoulder and smiled at her.

" Looking forward to your first _real_ trip on the TARDIS?" She asked. Selene grinned and hoisted herself up to sit on the railing.

" You bet I am! I'm restraining the urge to fan-girl scream. I have been for the past day or so," Selene admitted with a laugh, fixing the orange-pink shirt she wore that said 'Live Free, Love True' across it in blue with two small birds sitting on the letters. She also wore thin blue suspenders (yes, she knew that was rather ironic, but the outfit kind of seemed to call for it) that attached to the waistband on her light blue jeans. She swung her pale-orange Converse clad feet a bit, looking a little bit like a child.

" Alright everyone! Hold onto something, it might be a bit bumpy!" Announced the Doctor as the TARDIS engines whooshed loudly and the time machine jostled a little. With a final loud thudding like sound, the Doctor ran towards the door, yanking his long tan coat on. Mickey eagerly followed, Selene on his heels, Rose bringing up the rear. They stepped out into the eerily lit empty room of a space ship. The Doctor looked around, a bit surprised at the lack of crewman.

" It's a spaceship! Brilliant! I got a space ship on my first go!" Mickey exclaimed happily, his voice echoing off the empty walls.

" It looks kind of abandoned. Anyone on board?" Rose asked.

" Nah!" The Doctor said as he looked at a tangle of wires and broken machinery. " Nothing here. Well… nothing dangerous." Selene put her hands on her hips and shot him a look. He smirked. " Well… not _that_ dangerous."

" I would think that there could be something potentially dangerous anywhere," Selene said, staring up at the high ceiling, her wavy hair falling off her shoulder and hitting her back. Was she subtly hinting that they were actually in danger at that moment? Not really…

The Doctor nodded.

" You know what, I'll just have a quick scan… in case there's anything dangerous…" He muttered, taking Selene's comment into consideration. Rose rolled her eyes and then walked forward as the Doctor began to flick switches on a monitor. She smiled at him.

" So, what's the date? How far have we gone?" She inquired excitedly.

" About… three thousand years into your future, give or take." The Doctor opened a circular hatch and reached inside, grabbing a switch. He pulled it up and it lit up. He twisted it a bit and all the lights came to life again and the skylight opened up, revealing all of space above them. Swatches of purple and pink lazily danced above them, stars and planets showing up everywhere.

" Fifty-first century," The Doctor continued as they all gazed up. " Dagmar Cluster! You're a _long _way from home, Mickey! You too Selene! Two and a half galaxies!" Mickey walked over to a window and gazed out in awe, mouth gaping open.

" Mickey Smith, meet the universe!" Rose said, patting his shoulder with a grin. " See anything you like?"

" It's so realistic!" He said excitedly. Selene bounded over and pat his back.

" That's cause it is!" She told him.

" It's amazing!" Mickey grinned at her.

" I know!" She grinned back and resisted the urge to clap her hands and jump up and down like an idiot. He turned back to gaze out into all of the universe when the Doctor muttered,

" Dear me, we've got some cowboys in here!" He was holding broken bits of machines, looking at all the damage. " Got a ton of repair work going on," He said as Rose and Selene walked over. He tossed a broken piece into a random box and eyed the now working monitor. His brows furrowed.

" Now that's odd. Look at that. All the warp engines are going…" He dropped the second piece he'd been holding in a chair, grasping the metal desk, leaning forward to look at the screen. " _Full capacity?_ There's enough power running through this ship to punch a hole in the universe!" He looked up at the sky again. " But we're not moving! So where's all that power going?"

" Where'd all the crew go?" Rose asked, finally noticing the lack of people; people or aliens that would have come to question what four stowaways would be doing on board.

" Good question, no life readings on board."

" Well, we are in the _middle_ of space, they didn't just decide to go for a lovely stroll in the park now did they?" Selene said, looking around and crossing her arms. Everything felt. Creepy. Like someone was standing behind you, waiting to grab your shoulders and yank you away into the dark. The air was chilly and foreboding, and Selene really didn't like it.

" Or a quick smoke," Rose added. The Doctor flicked a few more switches.

" No, I checked all the smoking pods." He sniffed suddenly, looking around. " Can you smell that?" They all sniffed and nodded in agreement.

" Yeah, someone cooking," Rose said. Selene shut her eyes and suppressed a shudder.

_Someone's cooking alright…_ She thought to herself, her stomach twisting a bit. Mickey grinned at the smell.

" Sunday Roast, definitely!" He confirmed. The Doctor hit a button and a door behind them all slid open. Spinning to face it, they walked towards it. Through the door there was an ornate wall with rich red wallpaper and mahogany walls and an ornate fireplace with a clock sitting atop the wooden mantel. A fire burning within the fireplace crackled and seemed completely out of place. Selene smiled a bit. This had always been a favorite episode of hers.

" Well, there's something you don't see in your average spaceship," The Doctor said casually, his hands in his pockets. " Eighteenth century!" He bounded into the room, reaching for the Sonic. " French. Nice mantel." The Sonic whirred and whizzed as he scanned it. " Not a hologram. Not even a reproduction, this actually _is_ and eighteenth century French Fireplace. Double sided, there's another room through there!"

Rose and Mickey had gone to peer through another window as Selene and the Doctor admired and looked at the fireplace.

" There can't be, that's the outer hull of the ship, look!" Rose exclaimed as the Doctor and Selene crouched down to look through the fireplace. They saw a little girl in a white nightgown kneeling on the other side, long golden blond hair hanging down to her elbows. A bedroom was visible behind her and she was peering at the man and the woman in her fireplace oddly.

" Hello," Said the Doctor kindly. Selene smiled at the young girl along with the Doctor.

" Hello," Replied the young girl, a tad confused.

" What's your name?" Selene asked. Mickey and Rose peered into the fireplace to see the girl as well.

" Reinette."

" Reinette, that's a lovely name!" The Doctor complimented with a grin. " Can you tell me where you are at the moment, Reinette?"

" In my bedroom."

" And… where's your bedroom, where do you live, Reinette?"

" Paris, of course!" Reinette replied with a smile.

" Paris, right," The Doctor said with a nod in an almost dismissing tone. Rose gave him an odd look. Paris? They were in deep space!

" Monsieur, Madame," She looked at the Doctor and then Selene. " What are you doing in my fireplace?"

" Oh! Sorry we didn't mention that before!" Selene said with a small laugh.

" It's just a routine…" The Doctor looked around, trying to think of something.

" Fire check," Selene finished for him with a smile. " Mind telling us what year it is?"

" Of course I can. It's seventeen hundred and twenty-seven," She replied, smiling again. She looked rather adorable.

" Right, lovely! One of my favorites! August is rubbish though…" The Doctor mused, causing Reinette to scrunch her face up slightly in confusion. " Stay indoors. Okay! That's all for now. Thanks or your help. We hope you enjoy the right of your fire! Night-night!"

" Night, Reinette!" Selene said as she stood in unison with the Doctor, Reinette calling out,

" Goodnight Monsieur, Madame."

The duo turned to face Rose and Mickey. Rose was smiling and Mickey looked confused.

" You said this was the fifty-first century," Mickey argued in a confused tone.

" I _also_ said that the ship was generating enough power to punch a hole in the universe. I _think_ we just found the hole…" His face turned contemplative. " Must be a spatiotemporal hyper link."

_Spatiotemporal… Now that's a word to impress people… or to win Scrabble,_ thought Selene with a smirk. Mickey was in awe at what the Doctor had just said.

" What's that?" He asked curiously.

" No idea, just made it up," The Doctor admitted, brown eyes distant. " Don't want to say 'magic door'."

" And on the other side of the," Rose lowered her voice a bit while saying, " 'magic door'," her voice returned to normal. " is France in seventeen twenty-seven?"

" Well she _was_ speaking French. Right period French too," The Doctor confirmed, pulling off his coat as he turned to hang it up somewhere on the wall. Mickey was suddenly confused again. French? They were all speaking English!

" She was speaking English, I heard her!" He protested, pointing a finger at the Time Lord, trying to catch him at fault.

" That's the TARDIS, translates for ya," Rose informed, slinging an arm around her friend's shoulder.

" Even French?"

" Even French; translates any language anywhere," Selene confirmed, stepping forward to inspect the mantelpiece. She ran her fingers over the cool wood. The Doctor walked over and found a hidden switch on the side of the fireplace.

_Wonder what that does…_ He thought to himself. _Only one way to find out! _He grabbed onto it and yanked it upwards.

" Gotcha!" He exclaimed as the switch lifted and the fireplace jerked and began to rotate, he and Selene going with it. Selene let out a yelp of surprise as she gripped onto the mantel.

" Selene! Doctor!" Rose called out in surprise as her friends disappeared behind the wall, the reverse side of the fireplace now showing.

The Doctor and Selene were now in a darkened bedroom, and they looked over to the bed to see Reinette sleeping peacefully, a smile on her pale pink lips. Selene released the mantelpiece and slowed her breathing down to a normal rate. She hadn't intended on going with the Doctor to see Reinette, but it looked like fate had other plans. That and her mind still was a tad foggy around the edges, so she'd forgotten when the Doctor pulled the hidden switch. She sucked in a breath and then leaned towards him.

" Next time, warn me when you're going to pull a mysterious switch, alright, Doctor?" She whispered, trying not to wake the sleeping girl. He smirked and nodded.

They slowly stepped away from the fireplace, the sound of a clock the only thing beside their footsteps that could be heard. Selene made her way towards the window, reaching out a hand to slowly pull the lacy drapes away to peer out into the snowy sky. She smiled a bit and shook her head. She was in seventeen twenty-seven France… just… amazing! The Doctor joined her at the window and he saw her smile as she gazed at the carriage that was being pulled down the street by a set of horses, sleigh bells jangling slightly from where they were attached. A horse neighed loudly, causing Reinette to jump from sleep, blue eyes flying open. She sat up swiftly and saw two darkened figures at her window.

Hearing the gasp the two spun to face her.

" It's okay! Don't scream!" The Doctor tried to calm her down with a kind voice. Selene honestly wondered how many times he actually had to say that… it would be interesting to know. " It's us! Fireplace Woman and Fireplace Man! Look!" The Doctor bounded over to Reinette's bedside, pulling out the Sonic. Selene swiftly followed, making her footsteps silent. The Doctor pointed it at the candle on a small table and clicked the button, causing it to whirr. The candle suddenly lit and Reinette stared at the two cautiously.

" We talked to you a few moments ago. We were in your fireplace, remember?" Selene asked, gesturing to the fireplace, knowing full well it hadn't been just a moment.

" Madame, Monsieur, that was _weeks_ ago! That was months!" Reinette informed. The Doctor's brows furrowed as he scratched his cheek.

" Really? Hmm!" The Doctor turned and casually walked back over to the fireplace and bent over, knocking on some of the wood. " Must be a loose connection! Need to get a man in!" Selene walked over and smiled a bit but then noticed the shattered glass on the ornate clock.

" Who are you? And what are you doing here?" Reinette asked with worry. Selene nervously tapped the Doctor's arm.

" Doctor?" She asked and pointed to the broken clock. His eyes widened slightly as they both listened to the ticking of a clock, which was quite obviously _not_ coming from the mantel clock.

" Okay, that's scary…" He muttered, staring at the broken clock with fright. Selene had to admit that even though she knew what was going to happen, it was still pretty nerve racking considering it was now completely and totally _real_.

" You're… scared of a broken clock?" Reinette asked in confusion.

" Just a bit scared, yeah… Just a little tiny bit, 'cause, you see, if this clock's broken…" He looked around the room. " And it's the _only_ clock in the room…"

" Then what is making that ticking?" Selene asked in a hushed tone as they all listened to the loud ticking. " 'Cause it certainly isn't coming from this." She put a hand on the cold metal of the clock as they all looked around. Reinette suddenly realized they were right and glanced about the room nervously. A new sound echoed out, a sound that was reminiscent of something been wound up.

" 'Cause, you see, that's not a clock. You can tell by the resonance. Too big. Six feet I'd say. Size of a man…" With each word the Doctor spoke, Selene could tell Reinette was getting even more scared.

" What is it?" She asked, voice shaking. Selene quickly moved to the bed and sat on the edge, holding out her hand for Reinette to take. The young girl quickly forgot all suspicion of the two strangers in her room and gripped Selene's hand.

" Now let's see… if you were a think that ticked and you were hiding in someone's bedroom, first thing you'd do; break the clock. No one notices the sound of _one _clock ticking, but _two?_" The Doctor paused, the ticking continuing to echo. He eyed the bed. " You might start to wonder if you're really alone…" He walked over to the bed and began to kneel down. " Selene, feet up on the mattress. You two, stay on the bed, right in the middle," He instructed. Selene lifted her Converse clad feet and wrapped an arm around Reinette, who was currently shaking with fear. " Neither of you put your hands or feet over the edge…"

The Doctor slowly lowered himself to his hands and knees and peered under the edge of the bed, noticing a shadow. Selene gently rubbed the young girl's back as they watched the Doctor, her own heart rate picking up. He reached a hand under the bed, pointing the Sonic into the dark. With a click of the button it whirred and pulsed, and something lashed out at the Doctor, causing him to fall back quickly in surprise. The two girls jumped as the Doctor righted himself and quickly peered back under the bed. He saw two feet. They were in black leather shoes with brass buckles and white socks. The Doctor slowly began to pull himself up using the bed as support as he raised his eyes and locked on what was now standing behind Selene and Reinette.

" Reinette… Don't look 'round," He whispered as he stood. " You stay exactly where you are."

Selene noticed how Reinette froze, taking the Doctor seriously, as she should. Selene turned her head to look behind them and saw what were actually her favorite robots/aliens in the Doctor Who world. It was in period dress a thick purple coat adorning its body with a frilled cravat peaking out on the chest. It wore knee-length trousers and then white stockings covering its calf area. What was truly creepy about it was the mask it wore. It looked like a sinister clown or harlequin face the eyes angled cruelly and the smile twisting in a sick way. A brown curled wig fell to its shoulders, obviously fitting into the aristocratic role. Selene gulped. They were definitely scarier in person than on TV… maybe they _wouldn't_ be her favorite robot/alien after all this.

The Doctor glanced between the masked figure and Reinette.

" Hold still, let me look," The Doctor muttered, crouching down and taking Reinette's head gently in his hands. The Doctor stared into her confused and scared eyes and a shocked looked crossed his features, causing his face to scrunch a bit. " You've been scanning her brain! What, you crossed two galaxies and _thousands_ of years just to scan a child's brain? What could there possibly be in a little girl's mind worth _blowing_ a hole in the universe?" The Doctor questioned loudly, dropping his hands and glaring up at the ticking figure behind Reinette.

" I… Don't understand. It wants _me?_" Reinette turned her head to look at the creature. " You want _me?_" The creature's head snapped towards Reinette.

" _Not yet. You are incomplete,_" The thin informed in a choppy robotic voice.

" Incomplete? What does that mean, incomplete?" The Doctor asked.

" It sounds like you think she's some sort of unfinished project or something," Selene added, squeezing the young girl's shoulders. The creature didn't answer. The Doctor became frustrated and stood, feeling the frustration building.

" If you can answer her you can answer us!" He informed with a bite, obviously not ready to stand for the silence. " _What do you mean incomplete?_" He held the Sonic towards it threateningly. There were more clacking and clicking sounds as it began to walk jerkily, stopping every time it turned. It turned towards the Doctor and began to march towards him. It froze and raised an arm, a blade shooting out from its wrist, barely missing the Doctor's neck. Selene jumped and quickly stood as Reinette called out,

" Monsieur, be careful!"

" Just a nightmare, Reinette, don't worry about it. Everyone has nightmares," The Doctor informed as he began to back up when the creature advanced. Selene swiftly began to follow, and the masked figure spun around, the blade swinging out towards her. She ducked before running around it, standing beside the Doctor as they backed up. Knowing both of its targets were standing before it, the creature slashed at them twice more as they jumped towards the fireplace.

" And even monsters from under your bed have nightmares!" Selene announced as the blade got stuck in the mantelpiece and the creature couldn't move, its arm jerking backwards uselessly.

" Don't ya, Monster?" Asked the Doctor as he grinned a bit at Selene.

" What do monsters have nightmares about?" Asked Reinette curiously.

" Me! Hah!" The Doctor announced with a proud grin as he knocked the switch again, causing the three to rotate back into the spaceship. Selene immediately jumped away from the fireplace and looked around the room as Mickey and Rose perked up at their reappearance.

" Doctor!" Rose shouted in surprise. Selene bolted for a fire extinguisher that hung on the wall. It did rather look like some sort of gun, but that was momentarily irrelevant. She spun around after she grabbed it and tossed it to the Doctor, who caught it easily and spun to face the creature by the fireplace. He pulled something and a white cloud shot out, enveloping the figure, which eventually froze up. They all stood staring at it and Mickey grinned.

" Excellent! Ice gun!" He said. The Doctor, who was standing and staring at the creature amended him.

" Fire extinguisher," He corrected, tossing it to Rose.

" Where did _that_ thing come from?" Rose asked as she stared at it.

" Here," Said the Doctor.

" Then why does it look like that?" Asked Mickey.

" Fieldtrip to France, some kind of basic camouflage protocol. Nice needlework, shame about the face," The Doctor responded.

" Yeah, it kind of reminds me of a murderous clown. The Joker," Selene concluded with a shudder. " Not the best thing you'd want to be killed by. The Doctor stepped forward, looking at the cracked paint on the mask and stealthily ripped off the mask and wig before his eyes widened and shone with awe.

" Oh, you are _beautiful!_" He stated with a grin. What had been hidden underneath the mask and wig was what resembled a smooth, faceless mannequin head, but it was clear and within it, there were gears and cogs that turned and whirred and clicked. Selene grinned as well, stepping forward with Rose and Mickey to peer at it. " No, really, you are! You're _gorgeous!_" The Doctor reached into his jacket to retrieve his square framed glasses. Selene smiled as he pulled them on and leaned closer to the Clockwork robot. She _loved_ the Doctor's glasses. It just completed his entire look _perfectly_. Not to mention, he looked extremely cute when he wore them.

" Look at that!" The Doctor seemed to be having one of the best moments of his long Time Lord life as he continued to examine the amazing creature before him. " Space-age clock work, I love it! I've got _chills_!" He exclaimed, still grinning. " Listen, seriously, I mean this from the heart," The Doctor pulled back half his jacket and gestured to both sides of his chest, " and, by the way, count those, it would be a _crime_, it would be an act of vandalism to disassemble you…" He trailed off and then held up the Sonic. " But that won't stop me."

There was a ratcheting sound as it finally moved its head again, and then the ticking sounds started up again. It raised an arm and touched its fingers to the inside of its other wrist and it seemed to disintegrate and be sucked upwards swiftly. They all stared up in shock as they watched.

" Short-range teleport, can't have got far. Could still be on board," The Doctor said moving back towards the fireplace.

" What is it?" Rose attempted to ask, but the Doctor obviously wasn't going to answer.

" _Don't_ go looking for it!" He stated.

" Where are _you_ going?"

" Back in a sec," He said as he hit the switch again and disappeared back into France. After a beat Rose began to adjust the gun-like fire extinguisher in her hands. Mickey could already read what she was about to do on her face.

" He said not to look for it," Mickey told her.

" Yeah, he did," Rose agreed, tossing a curled strand of blond hair back into place with a flick of her head. Mickey grinned, ran over to grab the second fire extinguisher. " Now you're gettin' it! Come on you two!" The three began to run off, and as they were about to exit the room, Selene spun on her heel and went to wait for the Doctor. She could have some fun teasing the Doctor about that kiss he was about to receive.

When the Doctor re-entered Reinette's bedroom, it was daytime and the room had a golden hue to it. There was now a harp in the corner, the toys were gone and everything was neat and tidy.

" Reinette?" He called out, hands in his pockets as he looked around. " Just checking you're okay." He walked over to the harp and plucked a few strings, their sound echoing out. The clock ticking was normal. Not a human sized robot, but just a normal clock.

As he stared at the expensive harp, a gorgeous woman with elaborately pinned back golden hair stopped by the foot of the small bed, hands clasped in front of her, eyes trained on the man at the harp. She cleared her throat and the Doctor's attention immediately flew to her.

" Oh!" He said as he turned to face the woman. He stared a moment before quickly removing his glasses. " Hello, um, I was just looking for Reinette. Uh, th-this _is_ still her room, isn't it?" His voice had turned rather shaky and a bit nervous. " I've been away… not sure how long."

" Reinette! We're ready to go!" Called a woman's voice. The blond woman smiled and called over her shoulder,

" Go to the carriage mother, I will join you there!"

The Doctor began to smile as he looked her over. It was Reinette! The woman before him was Reinette. The dress she wore was floral printed and accented her pale skin beautifully. A pearl choker encircled her neck, matching the earrings that hung from her ears.

" It is customary, I think, to have an imaginary friend only during one's childhood. You are to be congratulated on your persistence," Reinette told him with a smile.

" Reinette," The Doctor said. She glanced about the room.

" The woman, the one who always showed up with you, is she not here?" She asked in confusion, arching a delicate brow.

" Oh! Selene? She had to stay behind this time, you know… other things to do," The Doctor dismissed. " Goodness how you've grown!" He commented, unable to wipe the goofy smile from his lips.

" And you do not appear to have aged a single day!" She told him as she strode over to him, stepping up to his level. " That is tremendously impolite of you." She looked him over carefully as she stood maybe a tad less than a foot from him.

" Right, yes, sorry… um…" He kept staring at her, blinking rapidly in attempt to get his thoughts together. " Um… Listen, lovely to catch up, but, uh, better be off, eh? Gotta help Selene with… fireplace checks…" He trailed off, thinking of the excuse they'd given the first time they saw Reinette. " And uh… Don't want your mother finding you up here with a strange man, do we?"

" Strange? How can you be a stranger to me, I've known you since I was seven years old.

" Yeah, I suppose you have." The Doctor laughed a bit. " Ha! I came the quick route." The smile on his face faded a bit as Reinette's hand came up to stroke his right cheek gently. She stared at him in awe.

" You seem to be of flesh and blood, at any rate, but this is absurd," She told him as she left her hand upon his cheek. She lowered it as she continued. " Reason tells me you cannot be real."

" Oh…" The Doctor blew out a breath and shook his head. " You never want to listen to reason."

" Mademoiselle! Your mother grows impatient!" Called a male voice. Reinette sighed.

" A moment!" She called back. She turned back to the Doctor and stared up at him with blue eyes that almost appeared a pale shade of purple. " So many questions. So little time." She then quickly pulled him to her, pressing a kiss against his lips, hand on the back of his head. His eyes closed but his eyebrows stayed raised in shock as she backed him up against the wall. He didn't know what to do as he grabbed the mantel with one hand. She was kissing him! After a moment he found himself kissing her back, hands coming up to gently gold her waist. Just as he was finally relaxing into it, she pulled away as the servant once again yelled,

" Mademoiselle Poisson!"

The Doctor stared after her as she ran from the room. He leaned back against the fireplace, a dreamy expression writing itself on his face. That had been interesting. Very interesting but also very nice. But… That name… it sounded familiar. The male servant stopped in the doorway of the room, shocked to see a man leaning against the fireplace.

" Poisson?" The Doctor questioned, mind working quickly. He began to smile. " Reinette Poisson? No!" He walked towards the servant.

" No, no, no, no way! Reinette Poisson?" He asked again in something that sounded close to glee. " Later Madame d'Etiolles? Later still, the mistress to Louis the fifteenth, _uncrowned queen of France?_" He spun to run back to the fireplace, the confused servant staring at him. " Actress, artist, musician, dancer, courtesan, _fantastic_ gardener!" He let out a laugh of disbelief as he went to stand by the switch.

" _Who the hell are you?!_" Yelled the servant.

" I'm the Doctor, and I just _snogged _Madame de Pompadour!" He stated with a grin and a laugh as the fireplace rotated again and he was no longer in France.

When he looked around he didn't see anyone.

" Rose! Mickey! Selene!" He groaned when no answer came to him. " Every time! Every time! It's rule one, don't wander off! I tell them, I do, rule one! There could be _anything _on this ship!" He jumped into the next room to see none other than Selene leaning up against the TARDIS, smirking at him.

" So, did you kiss her?" She asked with a grin as she stood straight, fixing the suspender on her right shoulder. The Doctor's jaw dropped and his eyebrows shot up. Right, she knew that would happen…

" Um, uh, um, she kissed me, you know that," The Doctor managed to stutter out, feeling a blush rise to his cheeks. Selene laughed.

" Uh huh, sure, of course, Doctor," She teased as he walked over to her.

" Don't tell Rose," He whispered to her.

" We'll see…" She winked at him and began to walk further into the spaceship, resisting the urge to call out 'allons-y!' The two rounded the corner and froze as they saw a beautiful white horse standing in the middle of the corridor. It was fully tacked up and it rolled the bridle in its mouth, making it click. Selene smiled.

" Yeah, anything could be on this ship, including this beauty!" She said as she walked forward and stroked its neck, grinning. She loved horses, she rode for years, but had to give it up when she went to college. " Aw, you're adorable!" She laughed as it bobbed its head and lightly hit her chest with his nose. She turned and looked over at the Doctor, who was smiling as he walked over and pat the horse's head as well.

" If eighteenth century France is on a spaceship, why not a horse?" He mused with a laugh. " You seem quite comfortable with it, do you like horses?"

" I rode for a long time, gave it up when I went to college. I didn't have the time or money. I love horses so much, they're amazing," She told him as he smiled at her.

" Yeah, they're nice. Come on then, we should go find Rose and Mickey, who don't like to follow the rules," The Doctor said as the two began to walk away from the horse, that turned to watch them. As they walked in comfortable silence, Selene let her mind wander.

She realized that maybe she was just here, traveling with the Doctor and Rose and Mickey, only because she knew what was going to happen. That it was the only reason she was actually invited along.

_Well, what other reason would I be asked to go along? I mean, I just showed up in the middle of a street from a different dimension, that's beyond weird, _she thought to herself, eyebrows scrunching up. The Doctor looked over at her and noticed her expression. A worried one overtook his face as he continued to watch her.

" Selene, is everything alright?" He asked with genuine worry. She was usually a pretty optimistic person, so the fact that she wasn't at the moment was rather concerning.

" What? Oh, it's nothing, don't worry about it," She dismissed with a wave of her hand. The Doctor gave her a look.

" It's obviously something, you can trust me," He told her as he offered a kind smile. After a moment of looking at him she sighed and shoved her hands into her jeans pockets.

" Am I just traveling with you because I know the future? Because I know what'll happen next? Because you seemed a bit quick to just let me, a girl from America in a different dimension, come along to share all your adventures." Selene finally said and the Doctor opened his mouth and paused.

" Oh," He said quietly. He shook his head and touched her arm to make her stop. She looked over at him as she ceased walking. He gave her a smile. " I don't let just _anyone_ jump into the TARDIS for an adventure. I didn't let you come along just because you know the future, _my_ future. No. The thing is, you're very special, Selene, you're quite obviously not like anyone else. You're brilliant and you can change the world, I know it," He told her, smiling fully. " No one likes to be lonely, especially me. Besides, you seem like an extremely fun loving person, and I can always do with a good dose of fun. And a new friend."

Selene smiled at him and nodded, feeling her doubts disappear with his sincere tone of voice.

" Thanks, Doctor," She told him. With a grin he pulled her into a one armed hug, his arm over her shoulders. She giggled quietly and wound her arm around his waist, squeezing him a bit. It was at that moment, that hug, that Selene realized that it was the closest she had physically been to the Doctor. She looked up at him and smiled, completely ecstatic that this was all real. She could feel his body heat and could smell his unique scent. He was real. He was real and he had just told her that she was his _friend_.

_This just made my entire life,_ she thought with a grin as they began to walk again, releasing each other from their embrace. They continued walking, occasionally calling out for Mickey or Rose, obviously not getting a response.

" Rose!" The Doctor called, sounding like a little forlorn child as they wandered around, Selene noticing that the horse the Doctor later named Arthur, following them. As the two stopped to stare at a time window, the Doctor looked at Arthur and sighed.

" Will you _stop following us?_" He asked in annoyance, holding up a hand in a 'stop' sort of meaning. " I'm not your mother!" Selene let out a laugh and role of her eyes.

" Of course your not, I would think that he'd think you're his father. You are, in fact, male," Selene teased as she crossed her arms. The Doctor shot her a look raising his eyebrow. She grinned in response, looking around. " I think Rose is somewhere around here…" She trailed off. The Doctor immediately thought she was planning on telling Rose about Reinette and quickly grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the time window in front of them.

" So this is where you came from, eh, horsey?" He asked as he tossed the doors open. " Look, a time window!" He said to Selene, dragging her through, knowing that if she were with him, she couldn't tell Rose anything.

They were immediately surrounded by the palace grounds of Versailles. The grass was lush and perfect, trees were rustling in the breeze and the magnificent palace was in the near distance, a reflecting pool stretching out from behind it. Selene grinned as she felt the breeze hit her skin. This was still shockingly amazing. Stepping through _one doorway_ she was transported through time. That was brilliant.

The Doctor released her arm as they paused in front of a stone wall. He smiled as he spotted Reinette and another woman. Selene grinned as well, recognizing the woman with Reinette. In her dimension, the woman who played Katherine also played Gwen in the show Merlin, and come to think of it, the actor who played Mr. Finch had been Uther Pendragon. But in this world, they were _truly_ the 'characters' they had played in her world. Never mind characters, this was real life!

The two women giggled as they walked arm-in-arm, parasols lightly resting on their shoulders, shielding their heads from the sun.

" Oh, Katherine, you are too wicked!" Reinette teased as they laughed. She thought she had seen something and turned to look behind her, just as the Doctor and Selene swiftly ducked down, behind a large stone planter, managing to evade her sights.

" Oh, speaking of _wicked,_ I hear Madame de Chateauroux is ill and close to death," Katherine commented with a playful smirk.

" Yes… I am devastated," Reinette responded with a mock concerned voice before they laughed a bit again. The Doctor and Selene peeked out again, watching the two women. Selene smiled and noticed the dreamy sort of smile on the face of the Time Lord beside her. She nudged him with her elbow and when he looked at her she raised an eyebrow with a smirk. He shot her a look, still smiling before they returned to watching the women.

" Oh indeed! I myself am frequently inconsolable! The king will therefore be requiring a new mistress. You love the king, of course?"

" He is the king, and I love him with all my heart. And I look forward to meeting him," Reinette replied, a beautiful smile gracing her delicate lips. Selene yanked the Doctor behind the planter again as the blond woman turned to look towards them once more.

" Is something wrong my dear?" Katherine inquired.

" Not wrong, no," She assured as they continued to walk.

" Every woman in Paris knows your ambitions."

" Every woman in Paris _shares_ them."

" You know, of course, that the king is to attend the Yew-Tree Ball?" And with Katherine's remark, they were out of ear shot. Selene and the Doctor stood and the brunette woman gestured towards the time window.

" Back to the search for our friends?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

OOO

" Is this, like, normal for you? Is this an average day?" Asked Mickey as he and Rose continued to scour the ship for anything of interest.

" Life with the Doctor, Mickey, no more _average_ days," Rose replied as they stopped in front of something that looked like a glass window peering into an elaborate room in Versailles.

" It's France again! We can see France!" Mickey pointed out.

" I think we're looking through a mirror," Rose commented as three men entered the room, the man at the front seeming to be talking heatedly to the others, almost like he was ordering them to do something.

" Blimey, look at this guy," Mickey said in a flat tone. " Who does he think he is?"

" King of France," Said the Doctor and Selene in unison as they stepped up behind the two, looking through the mirror as well.

" Oh, here's trouble!" Rose said as she grinned at the Doctor. " What have you been up to?"

" Oh, this and that!" He said quickly, cutting off Selene in case she had been about to say something. " Became the imaginary friend of a future French aristocrat, picked a fight with a clockwork man," Arthur neighed off in a different hall and stepped into theirs.

" We met a horse," Selene added as she watched the King, Louis, fix his overcoat in the mirror, making it look like he was looking at them.

" What's a _horse_ doing on a _spaceship?_" Mickey asked in shock as he stared at the horse.

" Mickey, what's _pre-revolutionary France_ doing on a spaceship? Get a little perspective!" The Doctor responded, giving him a look as if he was a bit slow on the uptake. He then pointed to the mirror. " See these? They're all over the place! On every deck, gateways to history. But not just any old history," They all watched as Reinette stepped into the room and curtsied to the King. " _Hers_. Time windows deliberately arranged along the life of one particular woman. A spaceship from the fifty first century _stalking_ a woman from the eighteenth. Why?"

" Who is she?" Rose asked as she eyed the gorgeous golden haired woman. Selene could practically feel the jealousy rolling off of Rose, but then again, she was feeling twinges of it as well. Reinette was heart-breakingly gorgeous, and obviously captured the heart of almost every man she came in touch with.

" Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, known to her friends as Reinette, one of the most accomplished women who ever lived," The Doctor explained as Reinette talked to the Louis, who watched her.

" Has she got plans of being the Queen then?

" No, he's already got a Queen. She's got plans of being his _Mistress_."

" Oh, I get it. Camilla!" Rose stated, letting her head fall backwards as they all laughed quietly, watching Louis and Reinette interact with each other.

" I _think_ this is the night they met," Said the Doctor. " The night of the Yew-Tree Ball." Louis then left the room, leaving Reinette seemingly alone. " In no time flat she'll get herself established as his official Mistress with her own rooms at the palace, even her own title, Madame de Pompadour."

Reinette stepped over to the mirror to fix her dress, smoothing it out at the waist.

_Yeah, she looks like her picture, or painting rather, could be put right next to the definition of 'perfection',_ Selene thought.

" The Queen must have loved her…" Rose trailed off, seemingly thinking the same thing as Selene.

" Oh she did, they got on very well," Confirmed the Doctor, making everyone snort a bit.

" The King's wife and the King's girlfriend?" Mickey asked skeptically.

" France. It's a different planet."

It was then Reinette noticed a figure in the reflection of the mirror, so she spun around. It was then that Selene noticed the broken clock on the wall in the room Reinette was in. After a moment the figure at the window turned to reveal another Clockwork creature, but this one was dressed as a woman. The Doctor grabbed Mickey's fire extinguisher and shoved the mirror open, and the four began to jump into the room.

" Hello, Reinette, hasn't time flown?" The Doctor said cheerfully as he rushed forward. Selene waved to her, grinning.

" Amazing to finally see you again!" She said with equal amount of enthusiasm.

" Fireplace Man! Fireplace Woman!" Reinette said in surprise as the Clockwork woman marched forward, only to be frozen by the Doctor with the fire extinguisher. He tossed it back to Mickey, and then they all watched and listened as a winding sound echoed from the Clockwork woman.

" What's it doing?" Mickey asked with worth.

" It's restarting. It'll melt all the ice…" Selene began as some of the ice crystals that coated it began to disappear.

" And then what?"

" It kills everyone in the room," The Doctor stated as the Clockwork woman's arm shot out, the blade pointed at his neck. He jumped back and backed away to stand beside Reinette. " Focuses the mind, doesn't it? Who are you?" He asked the creature. " Identify yourself!" With no answer he sighed.

" Reinette, ask for it to answer the Doctor," Selene said, remembering it only answered to her.

" Why should it listen to me?" She asked Selene, sounding a tad bit frightened. Selene put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

" Remember that it listened to you when you were a child? Maybe it'll still listen to you now," Selene pointed out. Reinette stared at the creature that had plagued her since her youth. She held her chin high and took a deep breath.

" Answer his question," She ordered. " Answer any and all questions put to you."

There was clicking as it lowered its arm.

" _I am repair droid seven,_" Came its female mechanical voice.

" What happened to the ship, then?" The Doctor asked curiously, eyebrow raised. " That was a lot of damage."

" _Ion storm. Eighty two percent systems failure._"

" That ship hasn't moved in over a _year_. What's taking you so long?"

" _We did not have the parts._"

Mickey laughed, causing everyone to give him odd looks as he managed to find something funny in the tense situation.

" Always comes down to that, doesn't it? The parts." He joked.

" What's happened to the crew? Where are they?" The Doctor asked again.

" _We did not have the parts,_" It repeated.

" There should have been _over fifty people _on your ship! Where did they go?"

" _We did not have the parts._"

" Fifty people don't just disappear!" The Doctor marched over to it, hands in his pockets. " Where… oh…" He said in realization. " You didn't have the parts, so you used the crew…"

" The crew?" Mickey asked, pondering that. How did they use the crew to fix the ship? That doesn't seem… possible.

" We found a camera with an eye in it. And there was a heart wired into machinery," Rose said shakily, remembering what she and Mickey had seen as they explored.

" It was just doing what it was programmed to; repairing the ship anyway it can with whatever it can find. No one told it that the crew weren't off the menu. What did you say the flight deck smelt of?" The Doctor asked. Rose's eyes grew wide.

" Someone cooking…" She muttered.

" Flesh plus heat… barbecue," The Doctor informed them, causing Selene to gag and her stomach to flop every which way. That was absolutely grotesque… Reinette even seemed to look sick even though she didn't quite understand everything that was going on. " But what are you doing _here?_ You've opened up time windows, that takes _colossal _energy! Why come here, you could have gone to your repair yard! Instead you go to eighteenth century France? Why?"

" _One more part is required,_" It informed, head jerking to be faced pointedly at Reinette.

" Then why haven't you taken it?"

" _She is incomplete._"

" What, so that's the plan then? Just keep opening up more and more time windows, scanning her brain, checking to see if she's _done yet?_"

" Why her?" Rose asked. After the Doctor looked at her she continued. " You've got all of history to choose from, why specifically her?"

" _We are the same_," The Clockwork woman replied. Reinette's brows scrunched up and she let out an indignant breath.

" We are not the same! We are in _no sense _the same!"

" _We are the same._"

" Get out of here! Get out of here this _instant!_" Reinette ordered.

" Reinette, no!" The Doctor began but was too late. The Clockwork woman lifted one arm and pressed its fingers to its inner wrist, disappearing. " It's back on the ship. Rose, take Mickey, Selene and Arthur, get after it! Follow it! Don't approach it, just watch what it does!" He ordered, holding the time window open for them.

" Arthur?" Rose asked in confusion.

" Good name for a horse!"

" I agree!" Selene added.

" No, you're not keeping the horse," Rose protested, shoulders slumping.

" I let you keep _Mickey_, now go, go, go!" He gestured wildly for them to go back to the ship, which they did, and he shut the mirror behind them.

As they began to walk through the halls, Selene nervously looked around, hoping to evade the Clockwork people as much as possible.

" So, that Doctor, eh?" Mickey teased with a laugh.

" What do you mean?" Rose asked, sounding confused.

" Well, Madame de Pompadour… Sarah Jane Smith… Cleopatra!"

" Oh, Cleopatra, he mentioned her _once_!"

" Yeah, but he called her 'Cleo!'" Mickey teased, grinning. Selene gasped loudly as something grabbed her shoulders, shoving her to her knees roughly. She just made out Rose yelling for her and Mickey, but could only glance up to see the Clockwork man from Reinette's room standing above her, arm wrapping around her neck as something cold and sharp pressed into her neck, making her feel drowsy. As her eyes shut she saw her two friends passing out as well. The world then went dark.

The Doctor quickly walked back to Reinette. " Reinette you're going to have to trust me. I need to find out what they're looking for and there's only one way I can do that. Won't hurt a bit." He said as he lifted his hands to lightly press against her temples, much in the manor he did when he first met Selene. They both closed their eyes and Reinette gasped.

" Fireplace Man! You are inside my mind!"

" Oh dear, Reinette… you've had some cowboys in here…"

" You are in my memories. You walk among them," She said in amazement.

" If there's anything you don't want me to see, just imagine a door and close it. I won't look," He instructed. After a moment he chuckled. " Oh, actually, there's a door, just there." Reinette smiled up at him, opening her eyes. " You might want to clo- oh! Actually, several."

" To walk among the memories of another living soul. Do you ever get used to this?" She asked, eyes closing again.

" I don't make a habit of it," He said quietly.

" How can you resist?"

" What age are you?" He suddenly asked. She giggled quietly.

" So impertinent a question so early in the conversation. How promising," She teased.

" No, not my question… _theirs_. You're twenty three, and for some reason that means you're not old enough." He felt her flinch a bit and a small gasp escaped her lips. " Sorry, you might find old memories reawakening. Side affect," He warned her.

" Oh, such a lonely childhood…" She whispered.

" It'll pass, stay with me."

" Oh, Doctor. So lonely. So very, very alone."

" What do you mean alone? You've never been alone in your life." His eyes shot open. _Doctor?_ Did she just call him _Doctor?_ She only ever called him Fireplace Man. " When did you start calling me 'Doctor'?"

" Such a lonely little boy. Lonely then and lonelier now. How can you bear it?" She asked, eyes opening and his hands leaving her head. " But you have such close company. Such as Selene, but she's special isn't she? She's not of our world, of our universe, but she knows what's come to pass and what is to come, and seems eager to stay. You should find yourself lucky you'll have such loyal companions."

" How did you do that?" He asked as he backed up, staring at her in shock. She knew his title… She knew about Selene. It shouldn't be possible, not possible _at all._

" A door, once opened, may be stepped through in either direction. Oh, Doctor… my lonely Doctor." She stepped over to him and smiled gently up at him. " Dance with me."

" I can't," He stated firmly. She had to dance with the King. If she didn't time could become messed up.

" _Dance_ with me."

" This is the night you dance with the _King_."

" Then first I shall make him jealous!"

" _I can't_."

" Doctor. Doctor who?" She asked quietly. " It's more than just a secret, isn't it?"

" What did you see?" He whispered, afraid of what she might answer with.

" That there comes a time, Time Lord, that every lonely little boy must learn how to dance," She told him with a smile. She took his hand in hers and led him from the room, ready to have her way and dance with the Doctor.

OOO

When Selene groggily opened her blue eyes, she found the face of the Clockwork man standing over her. There were dozens of ticking sounds, and as she looked around she found herself strapped to a slanted tables, the TARDIS opposite them. She yanked at her wrists and found it was useless.

" Selene? Oh my God, you're awake! It's been at least a few hours! Where's the Doctor?" He asked in fear, looking over at her. She was situated between Mickey and Rose, obviously about to be the next Clockwork victim.

" What's going on? Doctor!" Rose yelled out suddenly, noticing the Clockwork woman standing over her.

" Rose?" Mickey asked. " They're gonna chop us up! Just like the crew! They're gonna chop us up and stick us all over the stupid spaceship! And where's the Doctor? Where's your precious Doctor now!? He's been gone for flippin' hours, that's where he is!"

" _You are compatible,_" Stated both the Clockwork man to Selene and the Clockwork woman to Rose.

" Oh shit, this is wonderful…" Selene muttered, staring up at the masked creature.

" Well, y-you might want to think about that," Rose began, voice quivering. " You really, really might, because me, Mickey and Selene we didn't come here alone, oh no, and trust me, and trust me you wouldn't want to mess with our designated driver!"

Just then a blade shot out from the Clockwork man's arm, right in front of Selene's neck an she stared at it wide eyed as a small serrated wheel spun around.

" Rose, I don't think it really cares…" She said shakily, eyes trained on the gold wheel she knew could cut her throat in mere seconds. " But please, try something to stall it, _please_."

" Ever heard of the Daleks? Remember them? They had a name for our friend. They had… _myths_ about him and a name. They called him the-" She was cut off as a loud clattering came from the corridor.

" _I could have danced all night! I could have danced all night!_" Echoed the slurring voice of the Doctor.

" They c-c… they c-called him the…" She was cut off as the Doctor stumbled into the room, a wine goblet clutched in his hand. He swung around a support beam, drunkenly singing his heart out.

" _And still have begged for more! I could have spread my wings!_" The Doctor sang, sliding into the room. His hair was messy, his shirt was untucked and he wore circular shaped sunglasses. His tie had been removed and been tied Rambo style at his hairline, knotted on the side and the ends hanging down and resting on his shoulder. "_And done a thous…_ Have you met the French?" He asked suddenly, mind veering off on another track completely. " My… _GOD _do they know how to party!"

" Oh, look at what the cat dragged in… 'The Oncoming Storm'." Rose spat sarcastically. Selene stared at the Doctor, brain completely addled. He was drunk? _Drunk?_ Just wonderful!

" The Oncoming Storm singing show tunes; show tunes from My Fair Lady," Selene added as the serrated wheel continued to pulse and spin. The Doctor raised an eyebrow and looked at Rose.

" Mm, you sound just like your mother," He commented, sitting down on something.

" What are you doing? Where have you been!?" Rose yelled.

" Well… Among other things, I _think_ I just invented the banana daiquiri a couple centuries early!" He mused. " Do you know, they've never even seen a banana before?" He walked over to Selene and leaned close to her. " Always bring a banana to a party, Selene." He looked over at Rose. " Goes for you too, Rose!" He looked back at Selene. " Banana's are good!" He saw the Clockwork man and smirked.

" Oh ho-ho-ho-ho! Brilliant! It's you!" He said happily with a smile, still clutching the wine goblet. " You're my favorite, you are! You are the _best_ you know why? 'Cause you're so… _thick!_" He told it, ignoring the deadly blade so close to Selene's throat. She glared up at him, jaw tight. " You're Mr. Thick-Thick-Thickety-Thick-Face of Thick Town, Thickania!" He spat and then turned away before turning back. " And so's your dad!" He added as an after thought. Selene stared at him in disbelief.

" Doctor, would you mind _not _pissing off the _death robot_ that has a freaking _blade and a tiny spinning saw to my neck?_" Selene almost yelled, her angry side showing for the first time to everyone in the room. The Doctor raised an eyebrow and peered at the little spinning wheel.

" Oh, that's what that is?" He asked before stepping away again. Selene sighed and looked over at Rose.

" Can I slap him later?" She asked. Rose smirked and stared at the Time Lord.

" Go for it," She said in response.

" Do you know what they were scanning Reinette's brain for?" The Doctor laughed drunkenly again. " Her milometer. They want to know _how old she is_. Know why? Cause this ship," He spun around and gestured to everything, " is thirty seven years old, and they think when Reinette is thirty seven when she's, 'complete'," He did some over-dramatic air quotes, " then her brain," He rolled his 'r', " will be compatible! 'Cause that's what you're missing, innit? Hm?" He asked one Clockwork woman standing off to the side. Command circuit, your computer. Your ship needs a brain, and for some reason, God knows what, only the brain of Madame de Pompadour will do," He explained, standing beside Mickey.

" _The brain is compatible,_" The Clockwork man stated.

" _Compatible?!_" The Doctor asked, climbing over Mickey to stand by Selene and the Clockwork man again. " If you believe that, you_ probably_ think this is a glass of wine," He said soberly, ripping the mask and wig off again, pouring the wine goblet's contents onto the droid's head. It leaked inside and it froze. Once it did, the Doctor put the mask and wig back on. It's arm lowered and it bent over at the hip, no longer working. Selene sighed in relief and smiled slightly, laughing quietly at the fact she'd forgotten he'd faked being drunk.

" Multigrade anti-oil. If it moves, it doesn't," He said, dropping the goblet. Just as all the Clockwork people began to advance on them, the Doctor sprung forward and hit a lever, causing them to all stop working and bend over. " Alright, you three, that's enough lying about." He used the Sonic to get Rose out and then Mickey and finally Selene. They all slid to the floor and straightened up. " Time we got the rest of the ship turned off."

The Doctor moved his sunglasses on top of his head and turned, ending up facing Selene. Suddenly, her hand came in contact with his cheek as she slapped him. He groaned in shock, cupping his stinging skin. He looked at her in shock, as did Mickey.

" What was _that_ for?" He asked in confusion. She crossed her arms, shifting her weight to one foot.

" One, Rose gave me permission."

" I didn't think you were serious!" The Doctor exclaimed.

" _Two,_ you were joking about and making fun of the _death robot that was trying to kill me!_" She almost yelled at him. He dropped his hand, cheek turning red.

" Well, now I know not to upset you because _that hurt!_" He paused. " But, I guess I deserved that, didn't I?" He asked, voice distant as he thought back on his actions.

" Yep," Both Rose and Selene replied.

" Are those things safe?" Mickey asked, pointing to the Clockwork creatures.

" Yep! Safe and thick, way I like 'em!" The Doctor said, shaking out of his thoughts of an upset Selene, checking all the controls. He yanked his tie back around his neck, messing up his hair even more. " All the time windows are controlled from here, I need to close them all down… Zeus plugs…" He muttered, looking around. " Where are my Zeus plugs? I had them a minute ago, I was using them as castanets!." He ran around as he tucked his shirt back in.

" Why didn't they just open a time window when she was thirty seven?" Rose asked. The Doctor turned a few dials and looked up at her.

" Amount of damage to these circuits, they'd do well to hit the right century. Trial and error after that. The windows aren't closing. Why won't they close?" The Doctor asked himself as he hit buttons. Just then they all looked up as a sort of twanging bell sounded.

" What's that?" Selene asked looking around, already knowing full well what it was.

" I don't know. Incoming message?"

" From who?" Mickey inquired, eyebrow raised.

" Report from the field. One of them must still be out there with Reinette!" He exclaimed. " _That's _why I can't close the window! There's an override!"

Rose gasped and pointed as the Clockwork man made a winding sound and suddenly stood straight. It pointed two fingers at the Doctor's foot and then squired out the oil onto his off-white colored Converse.

" Well, that was a bit clever…" The Doctor muttered. All the Clockwork people came to life, causing the four to all become back-to-back, attempting to watch them all. " Alright… Many things about this aren't good. Message from one of your little friends?" He called out as another twanging sound echoed around. " Anything interesting?"

" _She is complete, it begins,_" Stated the Clockwork man just as they all teleported.

" What's happening?" Rose asked.

" One of them found the right time window. Time to send in the troops and this time they're coming back with her head. Rose, I need you to go to a time window, go and warn Reinette that the creatures will return when she's thirty seven. Tell her to keep them talking, they'll answer to her, and I _promise_ that I'll get there to help. Selene, Mickey, come with me, we need to go find that time window," The Doctor instructed as they all took off running.

The 'Time Window Search Team', AKA; Mickey, Selene and the Doctor, ran from deck to deck, checking all the time windows. They split up on each deck, meeting back at a defined point, ready to yell out if they found the window. The Doctor was about to run past one when he saw something. He saw a ballroom full of screaming people. Well, that'll be the window their looking for.

Reinette and Rose had been conversing about what the Doctor had told Rose to warn him.

" So, in five years these creatures will return. What can be done?" Asked a thirty two year old Reinette.

" The Doctor says keep them talking, they're kind of… programmed to respond to you now. You might not be able to stop them, but you might be able to delay them a bit," Rose explained from where they sat.

" Until?"

" Until the Doctor can get there."

" He's coming, then?"

" He promises."

" But… he cannot make his promises in person?" Reinette asked in a disappointed manor.

" He'll be there when you need him, that's the way it's got to be," Rose told her with a nod. The French woman nodded, looking down at the pink silk of her dress.

" It's the way it's always been. The monsters and the Doctor. It seems you cannot have one without the other."

" Tell me about it… the thing is, you weren't supposed to have either. Those creatures are messing with history. None of this was ever supposed to happen to you," Rose said quietly, a look of shock and almost anger appearing on Reinette's face.

" _Supposed _to happen? What does that mean? It happened, Child, and I would not have it any other way! One may tolerate demons for the sake of an angel," She stated, standing and walking to the gold gilded fireplace.

" Rose?" Came Mickey's voice.

" Rose we found it!" Selene told her as she jogged into the room from under a tapestry. " The window where she's thirty seven was right under our noses, we found it, come on!" Selene gestured to the space back to the ship. Reinette swiftly walked over and then ran beneath the tapestry.

" No, you can't go in there! The Doctor will go mad!" Rose called after her as they all followed. Reinette stared around at everything, almost unable to take it in.

" So this is his world…" She looked at Selene. " And it is now yours as well, Selene…" Selene didn't have time to ask how she found out her name as screams suddenly echoed through the corridor. " What was that?" She asked with worry.

" The… Time window, the Doctor fixed an audio link," Mickey explained.

" Those screams… is that my future?" Reinette asked with a shaky voice.

" Yeah… I'm sorry…" Rose said quietly. Reinette looked at the floor and felt a familiar arm wrap around her shoulders. An arm that had comforted her all those years ago in her bedroom. The one of a woman who was of a different universe. The one of the Fireplace Woman. One of her protectors. Reinette gently placed a hand on her shoulder, atop Selene's.

" Then I must take the slower path," Reinette said.

" _Are you there? Can you hear me? I need you now! You promised! The clock on the mantel is broken! It is time!_" Came Reinette's voice from a different time, a time in the future.

" Th-that's my voice!" The current Reinette said, eyes tearing up. Selene looked at her sadly and then whispered,

" Give me a hug," To her, pulling her in for a tight embrace. Reinette hugged back, eyes falling shut.

" Rose, Selene, come on, we've got to go! There's a problem," Mickey said.

" Just… just give us a moment," Rose told him. Mickey gave a nod before bounding off. Rose walked over as Selene released Reinette from the embrace.

" Are you okay?" Rose asked.

" No, I'm very afraid," Reinette told them both. " But the three of us know, don't we, Rose, Selene? The Doctor is worth the monsters." Reinette looked at the two and knew that she would have to be brave. Selene gave the woman one last hug before she disappeared under the tapestry.

" _Doctor! Doctor!_"

Rose and Selene immediately left to find the time window, but Selene spun around and went a different way, Rose not noticing. Selene looked around and then said,

" Where's Arthur?"

OOO

In Versailles the elegantly dressed men and women were being herded into the ball room and into corners by the Clockwork people, their blades out, ready to kill if necessary.

" Selene!" Reinette called, trying for her other protector. " Doctor!"

" We must go, no one is coming to help us!" Louis told her as she stood from where she knelt. She turned and saw the mask of that first Clockwork man who had been in her room as a child. She remembered her fear. She knew she couldn't be scared any longer. She had to be brave.

" _You are complete. You will come,_" It stated as two other Clockwork people joined it.

Back on the ship Rose stepped into the room where the time window was, seeing the Doctor running around, trying to figure out how to come through the time window to save everyone. It turned out that the window they needed had been opposite the TARDIS the entire time.

" You found it then?" Rose asked.

" They knew I was coming, they blocked it off!" The Doctor said angrily.

" I don't get it, how come they got in?" Rose asked in confusion.

" They teleported, you saw them! As long as the ship and ball room are linked, their short-range teleports will do the trick!"

" We'll go in the TARDIS!"

" We _can't_ use the TARDIS, we're part of events now!" The Doctor looked back at Rose. " Where's Selene!? We could _really_ use her right now!" They all suddenly realized Selene was gone. " Oh never mind!"

" Can't we just smash through?" Mickey suggested.

" Hyperglass this side, plate glass the other. We'd need a truck!"

" We don't have a truck!" Mickey commented rather uselessly.

" _I KNOW WE DON'T HAVE A TRUCK!_" The Doctor shouted angrily.

" We've got to try something!" Rose said, at a loss of anything.

" No! Smash the glass, smash the time windows, there'd be no way back," The Doctor said.

" _Could everyone just __**calm down?**__ Please!_" Reinette called from where she now stood in the ball room.

The entire ballroom went quite as she spoke.

" Such a commotion, such distressing noise! Kindly remember that this is Versailles. This is the Royal Court and we are French!" She called out before turning to face the Clockwork man. " I have made a decision. And my decision is no, I shall not be going with you today."

The Doctor was running through the corridors, looking for Selene, looking for something to help what needed to be done. He heard clopping hooves and looked up to see Arthur. But not just Arthur, no, it was _Selene_ sitting in the saddle, bent over to not hit the ceiling, leading him back towards the time window. When he stared up at her she stopped the horse.

" Arthur… that would work," The Doctor muttered. Selene nodded.

" At a full gallop he can break the glass," She told him. He nodded once.

" It's the only way." He ran over and she sat up, hunching her back slightly. The Doctor then heaved himself up and swung his leg over the horse's back. " Mind if I take the stirrups and the reins?" He asked. She nodded and took her feet out of the stirrups and released the reins. She was about to hop off when the Doctor suddenly kicked Arthur's sides, sending him at a full paced gallop down the corridor. Selene squealed in surprised, throwing her arms around the Doctor's waist in surprise. Apparently she was about to help him stop the Clockwork droids. He never gave any warning, did he?

Reinette stared defiantly at the Clockwork man.

" I have seen your world and I have no desire to set foot there again," She told it, all eyes on her.

" _We do not require your feet,_" The Clockwork man said. Two other droids pushed her to her knees, and she let them, a calm look on her face. Everyone screamed as two blades came close to her throat and she just stared at the thing that had once been her nightmare. It came towards her, blade pointed at her.

" You think I fear you. But I do not fear you even now. You are merely the _nightmare_ of my childhood. The monster from under my bed, and if my nightmare can return to plague me, rest assured, so will yours!" She whispered the last part, just as a horses neigh could be heard from somewhere that seemed distant. Everyone looked around in confusion as galloping hooves then echoed through the ballroom. Then, with another neigh, the mirror above a giant fireplace shattered, a man and a woman on a horse emerging from the glimmering shards. Everyone screamed and ran from the sharp pieces of mirror, and Reinette gasped as she stared at her saviors.

As they began to trot past her the Doctor sent her a wink and Selene managed to smile at her. As they circled the room, Selene leaned forward to talk in the Doctor's ear.

" Okay, next time, also warn me when we're about to crash through _anything_," She told him as he halted Arthur. He smirked at her.

" Will do," He assured. Arthur then reared up and neighed one last time before the Doctor jumped off and helped Selene down as well. " Madame de Pompadour, you're looking younger every day," The Doctor told her with a smile.

" What the _hell_ is going on?" Louis asked.

" Oh! This is my lover, the King of France," Reinette said, gesturing to Louis.

" Yeah?" The Doctor looked him up and down. " Well I'm the Lord of Time and Selene and I are here to fix the clock," He said as the two walked forward and he ripped the mask and wig off the original Clockwork man. Everyone gasped and the Doctor got the Sonic ready. The android's blade now pointed at the Doctor.

" Don't even think about it. It's all over!" Selene said dismissively, hands on her hips. The Doctor suddenly thought of something. Now not only can _he_ not get back, he'd trapped Selene with him too. And the horrible thing was, he could live forever and somehow maybe manage to get out of this situation in the far future, but Selene couldn't. She was human. She'd have to live and die in eighteenth century France.

" For the three of us…" The Doctor muttered sadly. He and Selene looked at the broken mirror where a brick wall now formed itself among the shards of mirror that were still there. " Talk seven years of bad luck. Try three thousand…"

Rose stared at the broken time window in shock. They just came out of no where, no warning, no anything…

" What happened? Where did the time window go?" Mickey asked. " How're they going to get back?"

A single tear rolled down Rose's cheek. They'd never see them again… she'd never see _him_ again.

The Clockwork man tried the teleport to no avail. It wasn't working.

" The link with the ship is broken," Said the Doctor. " No way back. You don't have the parts. How many ticks left in that clockwork heart, huh? A day? An hour? _It's over_. Accept that. I'm not winding you up." The Clockwork man lowered his head and all the gears in his head visibly stopped moving. Stopped ticking. All the other droids bent over, their gears ceasing as well. One even fell over and broke, brass gears and wheels scattering across the marble floor. It was over.

" Reinette, are you alright?" Selene asked as she and the Doctor each took one of her hands and helped her up.

" What's happened to them?" She asked.

" They've stopped. They have no purpose now," The Doctor concluded as the three stood among the shards of mirror. After a tense few moments, Louis stepped forward.

" Thank you, both of you, for saving us all. Please, I would be obliged if you were to stay for a glass of wine," Louis offered quietly. The Doctor nodded as did Selene, both knowing they really didn't have a choice.

The two were then escorted to a parlor and given a glass of wine. The two stood by the window, staring up at the vast amount of stars that shone in the night sky. Selene sipped at her wine and then laughed very quietly.

" I'll be one of the only people to ever say that I drank real wine from Versailles, courtesy of King Louis the Fifteenth," She quietly joked, shaking her head. The Doctor smiled sadly at her and put a hand on her shoulder.

" I'm so sorry… I trapped you here will me and there's no way back…" He whispered, staring down at her. She gave a half smile and rubbed his hand.

" It's alright. It's always alright. I've got the Doctor on my side," She whispered back with a genuine smile before turning to stare up at the stars. He followed her gaze and sighed quietly. Sometimes people trusted him too much…

Reinette came up to the two time travelers and stood beside the Doctor.

" You know all their names, don't you?" She asked him, staring into the night sky. " I saw that in your mind. The name of every star."

" What's in a name? Names are just titles," The Doctor muttered. " Titles don't tell you anything."

" Like 'the Doctor'," Reinette teased.

" Like 'Madame de Pompadour'," The Doctor teased back, the three smiling. The Doctor took a sip of wine as they all looked out the window again.

" I have often wished to see those stars a little bit closer. Just as you have, I think."

" From time to time."

" In saving me, you both have trapped yourselves. Did you know that would happen?" Reinette asked curiously.

" Mm, pretty much," The Doctor confirmed.

" Yet still you came."

" Yeah, we did, didn't we," He looked over at Selene. " You didn't even ask to let you off the horse…" She smiled and he chuckled. " Catch us doing that again," He joked.

" There were many doors between my world and yours. Can you not use one of the others?" She asked.

" When the mirror broke the shock would have severed all the links with the ship," The Doctor said.

" There'll be some broken mirrors and tapestries around here, where ever there was a time window, sorry about that," Selene said, sipping a tiny bit more of her wine.

" I'll, I'll uh… pay for any damage," The Doctor assured Reinette then paused. He'd need money for that. " Oh, that's a thought, I'm going to need money. Always been a bit vague about money… Where do you get money?" That earned a tiny laugh from Selene, who rolled her eyes.

" So here you both are… My Lonely Angel and my Savior From Another Universe, stuck on the slow path with me," She told them with tears in her eyes. The two smiled at her.

" Yep, the slow path. Here's to the slow path," The Doctor said in a toast, lifting his goblet. They all lightly knocked the rims of their goblets together before drinking to their toast.

" It's a pity, I think I would've enjoyed the slow path."

" Well… we're not going anywhere," The Doctor told her. She raised an eyebrow.

" Oh aren't you?" Her voice shook. She set down her glass. " Take my hands." She held out both hands and after setting their goblets as well, Selene and the Doctor grasped her hands.

She led them to a bedroom where a very familiar fireplace sat.

" It's not a copy. It's the original. I had it moved here and was exact in every detail," Reinette informed them quietly.

" The fireplace… the fireplace from your bedroom!" The Doctor exclaimed as he and Selene walked over to it. " When did you do this?"

" Many years ago. In the hope that a door once opened may someday open again," Reinette admitted. " One never knows when one might need one's Doctor. And his companion." She smiled at her true life long friends, who happily smiled back. " It appears undamaged, do you think it'll still work?"

" You broke the bond with the ship when you moved it… which means it was offline when the mirror broke. That's what saved it… But… the link _is_ basically physical… and it's still physically here," He muttered, stepping forward to knock on some of the wood. " Selene come over here," He told her and she stepped close, looking back at Reinette, already holding onto the mantelpiece. " Which might just mean if I'm lucky… If I'm _very, very, very, very, very _lucky…" He continued to knock on some of the wood. He grinned. " Aha!"

" What?" Reinette asked.

" Loose connection!" He announced, pointing the Sonic at the fireplace. It whirred and pulsed and lit up blue. " Need to get a man in!" He then smacked the top of the mantel. There was another whir and the Doctor went back to the switch. " Wish us luck!" He hit the switch just as Reinette sadly said,

" No."

The fireplace rotated and the Doctor's smile fell. Once it stopped moving the two crouched down to peer through the fireplace.

" Madame de Pompadour!" They both called. Reinette kneeled down again and peered through the flames at the faces she had seen through there all those years ago.

" Still want to see those stars?" The Doctor asked with a smile.

" More than anything!" She told him.

" Give us two minutes, pack a bag!"

" Are I going somewhere?" Reinette asked hopefully.

" Go to the window, pick a star, any star!" The Doctor told her before jumping up and running off. Reinette grinned at Selene, who forced a real grin out. Reinette then stood and Selene felt a tear escape her eye as she knew it would be the last time she'd see the gorgeous blond woman in her glittering ball gown. She stood and gripped the mantel, feeling herself start to cry. She didn't know it would be this… _painful_. She had gotten close to Reinette. As much as she'd like to say that she hadn't, she did and it felt like loosing a sister.

As Selene stood and tried to force herself not to cry, the Doctor the Doctor was hugging Rose, who was also crying.

" How long did you wait?" He asked with a smile.

" Five and a half hours!" She told him.

" Great! Always wait five and a half hours!"

" Where have to you two been?"

" Explain later, into the TARDIS, we'll be with you in a sec!" The Doctor then bounded off to the fireplace where Selene had barely managed to keep herself together. " Reinette! You there, Reinette?" He crouched down, didn't see anyone, so he ran to the side of the fireplace and made it rotate once more.

When they arrived in Versailles again, the lighting was dull and cloudy. The Doctor didn't see the blond French woman, so he took Selene's hand and pulled her from the room.

" Reinette!" He called out, releasing his companion's hand. She hung back a few steps, heavy tears streaming down her face and staining her pale colored t-shirt. As they entered the room they'd shared wine in, they saw Louis in a grey wig standing at the window. " Oh! Hello!"

Louis turned to look at them.

" You just missed her. She'll be in Paris by six," Louis said quietly.

" Ah," Said the Doctor. Louis stared at the two and stepped forward. They hadn't aged a day… not at all. And by the tears rolling down the brunette woman's face, she knew what had happened.

" Good Lord. She was right! She said you never looked a day older. So many years since I saw you both last and yet not a day of it on your faces," He said softly before crossing the room to a small table. He opened a drawer that was on the side and removed _two_ letters. " She spoke of you two many times. Often wished you'd visit again." He looked pointedly at the Doctor. " You know how women are." He extended one letter to the Doctor and one to Selene. They both hesitantly took them. Louis made his way back to the window where rain streamed down it.

" There she goes… leaving Versailles for the last time," He said sadly as he watched the carriage baring Reinette's coffin make its way away from the palace. The two time travelers stood behind him. " Only forty three when she died. Too young… too young. Illness took her in the end. She always did work too hard." Selene quickly tucked the letter into the waistband of her jeans before she turned her back on the two men and tried to cry silently. The Doctor, watching the carriage as well, held out an arm and pulled Selene to his chest, arms around her. This was the first time she had to deal with this in this way. To her she'd only known Reinette for a day, but the connection they'd formed felt far stronger. Selene wrapped her arms around the Doctor, tears rolling endlessly down her cheeks.

The King looked back at them and inquired,

" What does she say?" Selene released the Time Lord and couldn't meet Louis eyes. The Doctor slid his letter into his pocket silently. Louis nodded once. " Of course. Quite right."

The Doctor took Selene gently by the wrist and they walked back to the fireplace, Selene wiping at her cheeks as she still shook with silent tears. Once back through the fireplace the Doctor once again dawned his tan coat and the two silently made their way back to the TARDIS. Rose and Mickey stared at the two and their grief-stricken faces.

" Why her?" Rose asked. " Why did they think they could repair the ship with the head of Madame de Pompadour?"

" We'll probably never know. There was massive damage in the computer memory banks. Probably got confused. The TARDIS can close the time windows now the droids are gone. Should stop it causing anymore trouble," The Doctor said, beginning to fiddle with some switches. Selene leaned against the railing, absent mindedly playing with the bottom of her suspenders.

" You two okay?" Rose asked quietly. Both looked up at the question.

" I'm always alright," The Doctor told them with a tiny and very fake smile. Attention shifted to Selene. She smiled slightly.

" Right as rain," She replied. It was quite obvious the pair weren't alright.

" Come on, Rose… it's time you showed me around the rest of this place," Mickey said quietly, pulling Rose off. Once they were gone, Selene turned her back on the Doctor and curiously pulled out her letter. She'd gotten a letter as well? But why? She wasn't as close to Reinette as the Doctor had been… She slid one finger under the red wax seal and then opened the letter. It read as follows;

_Dearest Selene,_

_ Without the presence of yourself and the Doctor I find my days too long and too boring. I think of you both every day, about the days you saved me, the days you comforted me when I needed it most. I wish we could see each other again. I wish we could talk more. I miss you immensely. But I fear that the meeting will never come, for my days are shorter and I'm growing week. I wish you a long journey with the Doctor. Do stay with him, for he grows lonely so easily. Selene, my Savior From Another Universe, you have my love just as much as the Doctor does. And, please, always remember this; the Doctor is worth the monsters. God speed, Selene, Fireplace Woman, my Savior From Another Universe._

Selene felt hot tears roll down her face. What truly got her was Reinette telling her she had her love, just like the Doctor. She silently turned and walked back to the Doctor, who was just reading his letter. His went as follows;

_My dear Doctor,_

_ The path has never seemed more slow and yet, I fear, I am nearing its end. Reason tells me we are unlikely to meet again. But I think I shall not listen to reason. I have seen the world inside your head, and know all things are possible. Hurry though, my love. My days grow shorter now and I am so, very weak. God speed, my Lonely Angel._

The Doctor's eyes were glassy as he tucked the letter back into his coat. He felt someone wrap their arms around him in a hug and he looked down to see Selene standing there, embracing him. He hugged back, eyes closing. If the Doctor and Selene hadn't felt any connection before, hadn't felt close before this adventure, they definitely felt close and connected now. Selene pulled away eventually, gave a small smile and turned to wander off to find a room, allowing the Doctor to have his time alone.

The Doctor stared down at a monitor, seeing Reinette's fireplace there, a fire still burning. He clicked a button and the fire went out.

As the TARDIS engines whooshed to life, they disappeared from the ship and into space, Selene the only one knowing that the spaceship had been named the _**SS MADAME DE POMPADOUR.**_

The Fireplace Man and the Fireplace Woman could now not have to worry about that fire in Paris, France, the only one they'd ever had to inspect. One that they'd always remember fondly.

_**Afterword:**__** There's chapter three (finally!) Ah, I hope you enjoyed it! I cried, personally, at the end of this episode DX So sad… Sorry for the tardy update, I lost inspiration for a few days and also I start school in a week so I'm stressing about that, seeing as it is a hindrance that postpones my updates DX BIG THANKS TO **_grapejuice101 _**for helping me out with some plot points and such!**_

_** REVIEW THANKING TIME!**_

**grapejuice101: **_Thank you again for all the help you've been giving me! You really think that the last chapter was better than the actual episode? Aw, you're making me blush! Thank you so much for the support and the help and the reviews!_

**ForeverKitty:**_ I think there were a number of Doctor/Selene scenes in this, I hope you liked them! Thanks again!_

**notwritten:**_ Thanks so much for the review, glad you're liking it so far!_

**fanfreak4ever:**_ Thank you so much for the review! I love to know that you're enjoying it! Thanks again so, so much!_

**Gamerlady123:**_ Yeah the fan-girling XD Thank you for letting me know the length was fine! And yeah, Selene's a fangirl through and through! I always fangirl when the Doctor puts on his glasses XD Thanks again!_

**sieni1:**_ Thanks for reassuring me on the length of the story! Hope you're enjoying the story so far! Thanks again!_

**recklessl0ve:**_ I'm glad you've been enjoying reading it! Thanks again and hope you liked the chapter!_

**TheGirlWhoImagined:**_ Again, thanks for the length conformation! I'm really glad you've been enjoying it thus far. Hope you liked the chapter and thanks again!_

**aandm20: **_Thanks for agreeing about the length! I hope your enjoying the story as much as I love writing it! Hope you stick around to read more! Thanks again!_

_**And thanks to those who have added this to their story alerts/favorites, it means so much to me!  
Thanks again to all of you! I hope you've been enjoying reading this and will stick around for more! WHO IS EXCITED ABOUT THE NEW SEASON STARTING UP THIS WEEKEND? =D I'm so freaking excited! This chapter is out to celebrate that unless I can crank another one out and post it on Saturday XD **_

_** Review please! I'd love some positive reviews to help keep me going and to let me know how I'm doing or if you have plot suggestions and such! Thanks again!**_

_**~Mary**_


	4. Rise of the Cybermen

_Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who (any of the worlds or creatures and such) or any of the characters. I'd love to own the Doctor, that would be… amazing. But alas, I only own my OC Selene._

**Foreword: Okay, so, anytime a Cyberman speaks it will be written in**_ italics as well as underlined._** Just a heads up! Enjoy the chapter!**

**Allons-y!**

4. Rise of the Cybermen

The screen of a computer was lit with a blue background, housing the symbol of Cybus Industries logo, a thick, chunky 'C' in a circle. The computer was sitting in a laboratory, surrounded by odds and ends; metal coils, screws, nuts, bolts, wiring, buttons and other things that could be classified as merely junk. A man in a white lab coat reached out to a box that had a switch on it. Flipping said switch, a light burst on, illuminating a sort of humanoid figure behind him. He turned and looked at it, smiling.

" The prototype has passed every test, Sir. It's working!" The man announced joyfully, staring at the creation before him.

" I hardly think _working_ is the correct word," Said the second man, an older man in a wheel chair as he used the motor on his chair to move him forward. " _That_ would apply only to _machines_."

" I'm sorry, I should say… It's _alive_," Replied the first man, who had graying brown hair, and two earpieces were stuck in his ears, much like everyone else.

" Can it hear me?"

" Might still be in shock. Bear in the mind the brain has been welded to the exoskeleton."

" Skin of metal… and a body that will _never_ age or die!" The second man grinned as he faced the metal man before him. " I envy it! Do you know me?" He asked the metal man. " Answer. _Do you know me?_"

" _You are John Lumic,_" Came the metal man's response, its voice almost double toned as well as clearly electronic with no emotion. John Lumic grinned.

" Ah! My child! Mark this day, Doctor Kendrick. We are blessed!" Lumic announced, utter joy on his face. Kendrick stepped into Lumic's line of view, an apologetic look on his face.

" Well, it's not quite over yet, Sir. We need Geneva's approval. Technically this is a new form of life, and that contravenes the bio-convention," Kendrick announced, causing Lumic's grin to fade quickly. " They need to ratify this."

" And they will refuse me!" Lumic told him, voice growing gruff.

" Nonetheless, we need to tell them!"

" And if I don't?"

" Well, I'm sorry sir, but it's my duty! _I _shall have to inform them!" Kendrick told him with a shake of his head.

" And how will you do that from beyond the grave?" Lumic questioned, a smirk on his face. The scientist chuckled quietly, nerves beginning to work up within him.

" I don't quite understand…" He admitted. Lumic stared up at him with shallow brown eyes, a new grin on his face. One that spoke of true harm.

" Kill him!" He ordered. Kendrick spun around as a metal arm swiftly stretched out and grabbed his shoulder, an electric shock overtaking the scientist. The man groaned as he fell to the ground, the electricity stopping his heart. Lumic turned and pressed a button for the intercom. " Captain!"

" _Yes, Sir?_"

" Inform all staff… we have a new destination! Set sail for Great Britain!" Lumic demanded with a grin, his metal creation standing off to the side, glinting evilly in the light.

OOOO

_Selene dreamt that she was back in her crappy blue Toyota. That the semi-truck was about to hit again. But this time, she was in the back seat, sitting beside her older sister, Juliet. Her parents were in the front seat, and they didn't seem to notice the impending crash. Everything seemed to be going in slow-motion; the way everyone's expression slowly morphed from laughs and smiles to looks of shock and horror. Then everything moved to normal speed._

_The windows shattered, the cars skidded and the car's horn let out a blare and kept droning on as the two vehicles stopped moving. Selene then found herself with her head resting against the shattered window. Glass was strewn across her lap and her eyes lazily worked their gaze to her sister, who was hunched over, her thick brown hair falling into her face, where blood was running down her temple. Horrified, Selene quickly sat up and leaned into the front seat, spotting her mother slouched in her seat, not moving and her father bent over the steering wheel, crimson trails of blood leaking down his face. Before she could try and wake them up to see if they were alive, she felt herself collapse against the gear-shift, eyes falling shut, mimicking the rest of her family._

Gasping, Selene sat up quickly, heart racing too quickly. Her head was pounding again, memories becoming fuzzy and blurred once more.

" It was only a nightmare, Selene… only a nightmare… they're okay…" She muttered to herself as she ran her hands through the tangled curls of her hair as she groaned. She couldn't bare if anything had happened to her family. She felt her stomach pull at the thought of her sister and parents… she'd pushed their memories as far back as she could since she knew she would never see them again. So, that's exactly what she did as she swung her feet over the edge of her bed and looked around her room.

It was a perfect size; not too small, not too big. She had a closet full of clothes the TARDIS had somehow produced and a good sized bed that always felt good to rest in at the end of an adventure and danger filled day. There was a small shelf full of books; some she'd heard of, some she'd never laid eyes on. She had yet to actually be able to sit down and browse through them, seeing as when one traveled with the Doctor, danger lurked around every corner and through every doorway.

Selene changed into a loose tan colored blouse with blue buttons and a peter-pan styled collar that tied loosely in the front. The sleeves gathered at the wrist and hung around the arms. She jeans of choice were a worn grey-blue with black Converse that were tied up with bright blue laces to finish off the outfit. She pinned her hair back on the sides and left for the console room, rubbing her eyes with a sigh.

The others had apparently already been up and about and Rose and the Doctor were recounting a previous adventure of theirs. Mickey stood by the console, pressing something down. As Selene slowly stepped up to the console, Rose grinned.

" Oh, good your up! We made you some tea, but I'm afraid it isn't as hot as it was when we first made it. You slept for a while," Rose told her, holding a mug out to her. Selene gave a weak smile and took it, nodding in thanks. She slowly sipped it and went to stand by Mickey, who she noticed was pressing down a button. She smirked a bit into her mug as she remembered how long he'd be holding that for…

The Doctor noticed something off. Selene was quiet. In the time since the time on the _S.S. Madame de Pompadour_ (Selene had told them the name of the ship shortly after the adventure ended, especially after Mickey never stopped wondering out loud why it was Reinette who had to be chosen), that Selene liked to laugh and smile and try to make jokes, even if it didn't turn out to be all that funny. This morning she looked worn out and tired and maybe just a tad bit… distressed. His brow creased as she continued her silence, staring at her hands.

" Are you alright, Selene?" He asked with worry. She looked up and smiled waving a hand.

" Yeah, yeah, just a dream I had. Don't have to worry about it," Selene assured them. " Keep talking about whatever you were talking about when I came in, I don't like interrupting things."

After a slow nod, the Doctor turned his attention back to Rose, who beamed at him and continued to talk.

" Do you remember when..."

OOOO

" And that weird munchkin lady with the big eyes, do you remember the way she looked at you?" The Doctor asked with a laugh in his voice. He and Rose were sitting in what was presumably supposed to be the pilot's seat that comfortably sat two in it. The two were laughing and grinning as they recounted an adventure Selene didn't recall. The Doctor was leaning back in the seat, elbows resting on the back of it, one foot tucked underneath himself, the other propped up on the edge of the console. Rose was turned towards him, laughing so hard her cheeks were pink. " And then she opens her mouth and fire comes out!"

" I thought I was gonna get frazzled!" Rose told him in a happy tone.

" Yeah, one minute she's just standing there and the next minute,"

" _Rawr!_" The two growled out, pretending to breath fire. They both laughed as they looked at each other, recalling the memory. Selene laughed a bit and smiled, leaning against the console in front of Mickey, arms crossed. The Doctor and Rose looked truly happy and Mickey and Selene both suddenly felt awkward. Mickey chuckled slightly.

" Yeah, where was that then? What happened?" Mickey asked, still holding down the button.

" Oh it was this, um…" The Doctor began, suddenly acknowledging the other two people in the room. He was still smiling but it slowly faded as he tried to think of a way to answer the question. " Uh, this, uh, planet thing, asteroid. It's a long story. You had to be there," He finally replied. Mickey's smile faded. He looked over at Selene who merely rolled her eyes.

" I feel like I'm at school again…" She muttered to Mickey, who nodded in agreement. The two had gotten along better than Selene would have assumed; they sort of bonded over the whole 'both are new to the TARDIS and time traveling' situation.

" Um, what are you doing that for?" The Doctor asked, nodding to the button Mickey was still pressing down.

" 'Cause you told me to."

" When was that?" He asked after a pause as everyone looked at Mickey.

" About half an hour ago," Mickey replied simply.

" Um… you can let go now…" He trailed off, everyone but Mickey suddenly suppressing a smile. Rose began to giggle, a hand in front of her mouth.

" Well, how long's it been since I could've stopped?" Mickey asked in confusion. Selene pressed a hand to her mouth, looking off.

" Ten minutes… twenty…" The Doctor muttered before his voice dropped even quieter. " Twenty-nine…"

" You just forgot me!" Mickey then pointed to Selene. " And her!" Selene shrugged indifferently.

" No, no, no! I was just… I was calibrating. I was just- No, I know exactly what I'm doing," He assured him.

And with those words, the console seemed to explode. Sparks flew everywhere in a great flash of light, sending everyone to the floor. Mickey curled up in an attempt to protect himself and Selene knocked her head on the metal grating beneath her feet as she toppled over. Rose let out a gasp and ducked behind the seat, the Doctor jumping up as fast as he could. The TARDIS was being flung about, twisting and turning every possible way, creating a bumpy ride for the four time travelers. The Doctor was on his knees trying to fix wires and press buttons as the other three grabbed onto the console as well.

" What's happened?" Rose asked breathlessly. Lights began to flash, giving everyone a slight head ache.

" The Time Vortex is gone! That's _impossible,_ it's just gone!" He announced in a panic. " _BRACE YOURSELF!_ We're gonna crash!"

And they did. They landed on the floor at the sudden jolt, causing everyone to groan and stare up at the smoke that billowed around the room. Things like oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling as the Doctor sat up. " Everyone alright? Rose, Selene, Mickey?"

" I'm fine, I'm okay, sorry, yeah…" Mickey responded.

" I've had worst," Was Selene's reply as she sat up, tossing hair out of her face. The lights in the TARDIS were out. There was no sound. No light. Nothing.

" That _really _isn't good…" Selene mentioned as she stood shakily, feeling a bit wobbly on her feet.

" She's dead…" Whispered the Doctor. " The TARDIS is dead…"

" You can fix it," Rose stated hopefully, following at the Doctor's heels.

" There's nothing to fix… She's perished." He flicked switches as they all gathered around him, staring at the noiseless TARDIS engine. It was eerie. Selene had become used to the engine noise almost immediately, and its absence was a tad bit scary. The Doctor's face was composed in a look of sadness and shock. " The last TARDIS in the universe… extinct."

Selene placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it softly before gently rubbing his shoulder-blade in a comforting way.

" We can get help, yeah?" Rose asked, voice rising in panic. The Doctor hunched over the dead console, hands gripping the edges.

" Where from?" He asked.

" Well we've landed, we've got to be _somewhere._"

" We fell out of the Time Vortex… We've basically plummeted into nothing," Selene muttered quietly.

" We've fallen through the void. We're in some sort of no place. The silent realm… the lost dimension," The Doctor continued, voice contemplative.

" Otherwise known as _London!_" Mickey announced happily with a laugh. Rose and the Doctor gave him a look as Selene smirked. Well, aren't they in for a surprise? They all rushed to the door and stepped out, the Doctor pulling on his tan coat. " London, England, Earth! Hold on!" Mickey said as he jumped down from the curb side they'd landed on, leaving the other three standing in the grass and fallen leafs. He grabbed a newspaper out of a trashcan, smirking. " First of February this year! Not exactly far flung is it?"

Rose jogged over and jumped down, Selene following. Rose stared down at the newspaper, swiping hair out of her face. The air smelled of the water front, seeing as they were just off the River Thames, and the wind was chilly, biting through the thin fabric of Selene's blouse.

" So, this is London?" The Doctor asked as he noticed something _very_ off in the skies.

" Yep!" Mickey announced.

" Your city."

" That's the one."

" Just as we left it."

" Bang on!"

" And that includes the _zeppelins?_" The Doctor inquired, looking up at the sky. Everyone's head snapped up to look at the sky, spotting the silver zeppelins floating through the sky.

" What the hell…" Mickey muttered.

" That's beautiful!" Rose announced.

" Okay, so it's London with a big international zeppelin festival!" Mickey concluded. Selene shook her head, patting his shoulder.

" No, Mickey, just… no. It isn't _your_ London," She told him.

" It isn't your world," The Doctor dead panned as they stared out over the Thames at all the zeppelins over the city.

" But if the date's the same, it's parallel, right? Am I right? Like a parallel earth where they got zeppelins? Am I right, I'm right aren't I?"

" Must be…" The Doctor muttered. Mickey suddenly looked at Selene, as did the Doctor and Rose. " Is this your world?"

" Hm? What? No! God no, There aren't any zeppelins in my world," She assured them, shoving her hands into her jeans pockets, shaking her head. " I'd have told you if there were zeppelins. This is just… _another_ parallel world." Rose's eye caught a poster just off to the side and she felt her blood almost run cold in shock.

" So, a parallel world where…" Rose began but was cut off by Mickey.

" Oh come on! You've seen it on films. Like an alternative to our world where everything's the same but a little bit different! Like, I don't know, traffic lights are blue! Tony Blaire never got elected!" Mickey began to list off the possibilities.

" And he's still alive…" Rose muttered, staring at a poster of her father, Pete Tyler. He wore a grey suit, a red tie, and was holding a bottle labeled Vitex. It was an advertisement. He also appeared to be wearing some odd kind of earpieces, almost like blue-tooth. " A parallel world where my dad's still alive…"

Rose's feet began to move forward, her face never changing the look of shock.

" Don't look at it, Rose! Don't even think about it, this is not your world!" The Doctor begged her as he, Selene and Mickey followed her quickly. Rose stepped up to the poster and reached out.

" But he's my dad, and…" Her fingers brushed the surface of the poster and it moved, like a digitalized poster.

" _Trust me on this,_" Said Pete Tyler's image. Rose stepped back, staring in shock.

" Oh that's weird… but he's real!"

" _Trust me on this!_"

" He's a success!" Rose laughed with a smile. " He was always planning these daft little schemes, health-food, drinks and stuff. Everyone said they were useless. But he did it," She said happily. The Doctor's hands suddenly found their way to Rose's arms, spinning her around to face him. His face was stern and almost angry.

" Rose, if you ever trusted me, listen to me now!" He demanded, just as Rose glanced back at the poster. " Stop looking at it! Your father's dead! He died when you were six months old. That is _not_ your Pete, it's _a_ Pete! For all we know he's got his own Jackie, his own Rose, his own daughter who is someone else, but not you. You can't see him, not ever." Rose's face had fallen from happiness straight to pure sadness. She gave one small nod as she stared at the ground.

Selene placed a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder as the Doctor dropped his hands from where he'd been holding Rose's arms.

" He's right…" Selene muttered. " But trust me, I know how your probably feeling right now…" Rose nodded again, giving a tiny yet grateful smile to Selene. The Doctor sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

" Alright, I'm going back to the TARDIS to see if there's _anything_ that could possibly help us get out of here some how…" He began to walk away but spun around to walk backwards. He pointed to Mickey and Selene. " Make sure that Rose doesn't run off and do anything we'd regret!" He called out before running back to the TARDIS. Rose let out a sad sigh as she ran her hands through her blond hair. What was she going to do?

OOOO

Pete Tyler drove up to his large almost mansion-like house, hopping out with a bouquet of flowers wrapped in fluorescent yellow plastic. He straightened the cuffs of his sleeves before turning on his heel and entering the front hall.

" Hello? Sweetheart?" He called out as he held the flowers behind his back. He walked forward towards a large set of stairs that were decorated in swatches of gold and pink cloth. He spotted his wife, Jackie Tyler, descending the stairs in a black silk dressing gown. Her blond hair was pulled back on the sides and a set of earpieces were visible in her ears. She gave him a look. " Only me."

" Oh, the bad penny!" She replied as she descended the rest of the stairs to come to a stop in front of him. " Was this your idea, don't deny it! It's got your fingerprints _all over it!_" She told him angrily, glaring up at him. She mockingly gave a thumbs up and mimicked him. " 'Trust me on this', oh, I can trust you alright, trust you to _cock it up!_"

" What've I done now?" Pete asked incredulously, looking confused and a tad shocked. Jackie always seemed to be blaming him for _something_, but this time she seemed genuinely pissed off about it.

" Have a look!" She insisted, leading him into a parlor room, where a banner was displayed reading;

_**HAPPY 40**__**th **__**BIRTHDAY**_

Jackie put her hands on her hips with an eyebrow cocked as she gave Pete another look. He looked at the banner and saw nothing wrong with it. He shrugged and shook his head.

" What's wrong with that?" He asked.

" Forty! It says 'forty'!"

" You _are_ forty!"

" Well, I don't want the whole world telling, do I?" Jackie asked in a hushed tone, her back to a large window that overlooked a beautiful country landscape.

" You're having a party tonight," Pete told her.

" My _thirty-ninth,_" Jackie corrected, making another hateful glance to the banner. Pete internally sighed. _Right, cause thirty-nine is __so much__ younger than __forty__…_ He thought to himself. " My official biography says I was born on the same day as Cuba Gooding Jr., and that makes me thirty-nine, _thank you very much_. Rose!" She called out, her train of thought changing as she marched out of the room. " Come here! Rose!"

Pete followed his wife, dodging busy staff as he did so. Jackie walked to the stairs and then he held out the flowers.

" These are from the girls at the office. Happy birthday," He told her. She looked at the flowers, her face vacant of expression. A bouquet of flowers. She was receiving _bouquet _of flowers for her birthday. She turned her gaze to her husband.

" I've got _hand-sculpted _arrangements by Veronica of Reykjavik, and your secretary stopped off at a _garage?_ I don't think so!" She snapped, crossing her arms. Pete sighed as she continued. " And if you're giving out presents, where's my zeppelin? Everyone else's got one." She turned to the stairs. " Rose! Come on Rose!" Turning back to Pete, she spoke again.

" Look, you didn't even notice, did you? Special delivery, got send 'round today. Birthday present from Mr. Lumic. Latest model, diamond studded!" She informed, turning her head to the side for Pete to see the new earpieces. He looked at them closely for a moment. " Pick up signals from Venezuela." Pete gave her a look.

" Why would you want to pick up signals from Venezuela?" He asked in confusion. Jackie repressed a groan and sighed in exasperation instead.

" Well, I don't know, but now I can find out!" She snapped. " Oh, for _God's sake_ where is she? Rose! Oh, she needs a good bath before tonight, or she's gonna be honking. Rose, come to Mummy! Come on!" A small lap dog, presumably a Yorkshire Terrier, trotted down to the first landing, and Jackie grinned. " Ah, there you are, my darling! Good girl!" Jackie ran to pet her dog as Pete's earpiece began to ring. He stepped off to the side and answered, pressing a button on the earpiece.

" Mr. Lumic! Jackie was just saying thank you," Pete told Lumic. " That's very kind of you."

" _Those ear-pods are handmade. Tell her to take care,_" Responded Lumic, his voice gruff.

" 'Course I will… course I will… Uh, I don't suppose you'll be, uh, joining us tonight?" Pete questioned as he shifted his weight on his feet, almost sounding nervous. " For the party? We'd be very honored."

" _The world below can party, some of us have work to do. My plans have advanced, Peter. The president has promised a decision. I'm flying in now. We'll be at the airstrip by five o'clock._"

" Right… it's just… I promised I'd help the wife out tonight," Pete admitted quietly, gazing up the stares towards the room Jackie had disappeared into.

" _If the president of Great Britain can make this meeting,_ _**then so can you,**_" Lumic stated firmly, refusing to be denied. Pete chuckled.

" I don't know, he's not married to Jackie, is he?"

" _Five o'clock, Mr. Tyler! Famous day!_" And with that, there was a beep and the connection cut off. Pete clenched his teeth and walked off, trying to sort out what to do.

Meanwhile, Lumic sat in his zeppelin as he made his way back to London. He moved a mouth piece connected to his wheel chair to his face, inhaled a good amount of pressurized oxygen and moved the mouth piece away again. He stared at a screen in the wall before him and began to speak.

" Voice print access. John Lumic. Initiate ear-pod override. Subject, Jacqueline Tyler." Pictures fluttered across the screen till Jackie's popped up. " Activate!"

Jackie, who had been doing her makeup, dropped her makeup brush, face going blank as she stared in the mirror. Two pieces of metal extended from the earpieces and connected in a square arch over her head, connecting with a blue light.

" Download, Tyler residence, February the first, give me security arrangements for tonight!" Lumic demanded. " Passwords, encryptions, services.

The earpieces sparked with dull blue light, which was sending information back to Lumic on his zeppelin.

Lumic grinned as he got a floor plan and a list of everything he needed.

" And restore!"

With that, the earpieces returned to normal (well, as normal as they could possibly be) and Jackie blinked a few times, coming too again. She shook her head as she picked up her makeup brush once more and began to finish off her make up.

Lumic grinned again.

" Thank you, Mrs. Tyler. Activate picture link!" The screen before him lit up again to show the face of an older man, also wearing earpieces. " Mr. Crane!"

" _Mr. Lumic,"_ Crane replied.

" Events are moving faster than I anticipated. I need extra staff!" Lumic informed.

" _Very good, Sir. Then I shall go on a recruitment drive,_" Crane told him from where he sat in his truck, bundled up in a winter jacket and gloves.

Crane turned to look at the driver of the semi-truck and said,

" Back her up."

OOOO

Selene sighed as she looked at the pavement she was walking on. Mickey had left her and Rose to go back to the TARDIS and shortly after that, Selene lost focus and found herself alone, Rose no where in sight. So, she'd turned around and decided to head back to the TARDIS as well, only to find her self a tad bit lost. She had her hands in her pockets as she walked, shivering a bit. Maybe she could grab a jacket, it was rather cold… She looked up and across the street only to freeze.  
" Oh my God… No, that… that _can't_ be," She said to herself as she saw what looked to be four familiar looking people… a group of people that as they swiftly walked past, she could have sworn had been her family… and herself. But that should be impossible. She didn't originally exist in the Doctor Who universe, so she couldn't possibly have a parallel self in _this_ universe, could she? Selene swiftly jogged forward to try and get another look at the four people walking down the street, but they had just rounded a corner, disappearing from view. She shook her head.

" No, you're still just upset about the dream… it's nothing… they just… _looked_ like your family…" She paused. " I'm talking to myself, this is bad." And with that, she made her way towards the TARDIS.

The Doctor had been searching the TARDIS for any signs of life _at all_ when he heard the door open. Spinning around he saw Mickey striding in, shutting the door behind himself. He glared at him and groaned.

" I _told you to keep an eye on her!_" The Doctor exclaimed. Mickey shrugged as he stopped in front of the Doctor.

" Selene's still with her, I'm sure she'll be able to handle looking after her," Mickey said.

" Selene's just as likely to wander off and see what's different here!"

" They're alright!"

" They go wandering off, especially Rose! A parallel world, it's like a gingerbread house! All those _temptations _calling out!" The Doctor cried, gesturing to the door with an angry expression on his face. Sure Selene _probably_ knew the consequences of wandering off in a place like this, but she'd only known it as a _show_, not a reality. For all he knew she could break whatever rules she'd been keeping herself to and wander off to go see how close this world resembled _hers_.

" Oh so it's just Rose and Selene then? But mostly Rose? Nothing out there to tempt me?" Mickey asked, voice turning offended.

" Well, I don't know, I can't worry about _everything_," The Doctor told him as he looked at the grating on the console room floor. " If I could just get this thing to-" He violently kicked the console with an angry expression before turning to go sit in the pilot seat.

" Did that help?" Mickey asked.

" Yes."

" Did that hurt?"

" Yes. Ow," He said as he sat down, lifting his right leg to hold onto his foot. Just then the TARDIS door squeaked again and the two men turned to see Selene step in, looking a bit distant. " You see, _now_ Rose is all alone," The Doctor told Mickey.

" She'll be okay, trust me on this," Selene told them as she stepped over. She looked at the Doctor and smiled a tiny bit. " Hurt your foot?" The Doctor shot her look and she laughed very quietly before he looked around the darkened TARDIS.

" We're not meant to be here…" He muttered. " The TARDIS draws it's power from the universe, but it's the wrong universe. It's like _diesel _in a _petrol _engine."

" But… I've seen it in comics!" Mickey told him as he sat beside the Doctor. " People are hopping from one alternative world to another, it's easy."

" Don't believe all the comics and television shows. I traveled to _your_ world by getting into a car crash, remember? It wasn't fun _or_ easy," Selene pointed out as she leaned against the console, crossing her arms.

" She's right. It isn't easy in the real world. _Used_ to be easy. When the Time Lords kept their eye on everything, you could… pop between realities, home in time for tea. Then they died and took it all with them…the walls of reality closed, the worlds were sealed. Everything became that bit less kind…" The Doctor explained, voice distant and sad. He remembered those times, he remembered when those ended. He knew that what happened should be impossible, but then again, a lot of impossible things had been happening lately…

" So how'd Selene get to our world if it's so impossible?" Mickey inquired. The Doctor gazed at Selene intently for a moment, looking her over again. He shook his head a bit.

" She's an impossible girl… literally," He muttered. Selene smirked.

" Then how did we get here?" Mickey asked. The Doctor rubbed his eyes with one hand.

" I don't know. Accident? Should've been impossible. Now we're trapped." The Doctor looked to the floor as Mickey blew out a defeated breath. He saw something… something bright in the darkness… something that looked like… _light_. " What's that?" Selene looked down through the grating.

" What?" Mickey asked.

" That, there," The Doctor stood, staring down at the light. " Is that a reflection?"

" What is there to reflect, Doctor?" Selene asked with a grin. " That's light!"

" Is it? Is that a light?" He asked as they all crouched down to look at the tiny blue-green light. " I think that is! That's all we need! We've got power!" The Doctor yanked up the panel of grating and grinned down at the little power-source. " Mickey, Selene, we've got power! Ha!"

OOOO

Mr. Crane jumped out of the large, black, semi-truck that had 'ELECTROMATICS' inscribed on the side. They had pulled up to a garbage dump where people without homes had taken up residence. He banged on the back of the truck and then called out,

" Gentlemen! Gentlemen! I beg your attention! Christmas has come early, so come and get it!" The back of the truck opened and two men lowered a gang-plank like walk way up to the back of it. " Oh, smell that, comrades; burgers and chips, sausage and beans, pork, chicken, and hot sweet tea, all for free!"

Men began to run for the back of the truck at the promise of a free meal. A younger man with short and spiky blond hair and all black clothing rushed after the man in front of him.

" Don't go!" He said.

" But there's food!" The older man said, gesturing to the truck.

" All you can eat, free of charge, don't just stand there!" Crane insisted as a group of men climbed inside.

" They're lying!" The blond told him.

" Well, that's easy for you to say. When did you last starve?" The other man asked, looking back at the younger man.

" All those people disappearing off the streets. It's been going on for _months_. It's them. They're taking you away!"

" What for?"

" Experiments!"

" Oh, I'm so hungry!" The older man told him before running off to the truck, following the other men inside. The blond ran behind some debris and pulled out a camera, holding it up to film the back of the truck. As the man he'd been talking to stepped behind a plastic sheet, screams echoed out from the back.

" Take them away," Crane said in an indifferent monotone as men tried to escape, just as the doors shut and locked with finality.

OOOO

Selene and Mickey were sitting on the floor, watching as the Doctor rooted around beneath the grating, removing pieces of machinery and wiring, odds and ends, and other various things as he tried to get to the tiny light. Selene was holding a circuit board in her lap as she watched him happily search.

" It's alive!" The Doctor announced.

" What is it?" Mickey questioned as he helped move things out of the way.

" Nothing! It's tiny!" He began to pull out a long cable, tossing it out over his head in loops. " It's one of those insignificant little power cells that no one even bothers about, and it's clinging onto life! One little _ounce_ or reality tucked away inside," The Doctor told him as he picked up the little glowing power cell.

" Enough to get us home?"

" Not yet," He said, raising it up for all of them to look at. " I need to charge it up."

" We could go outside and lash it up to the national grid," Suggested Mickey hopefully.

" No, we couldn't." Selene moved the circuit board off her lap. " We can't use energy from this universe, we need it from _yours_," She reminded him.

" But… we don't have anything," Mickey pointed out, his hope deflating. The Doctor smirked.

" There's me," He said. He blew against the little power cell and its green light brightened and the Doctor grinned. " I just gave away ten years of my life! Worth every second!" He laughed a bit before hauling himself out of the floor, staring at the power cell happily.

Selene began to replace all the odds and ends back into the floor and moved the grate back into place before crossing her legs and sitting comfortably again. The Doctor sat down on the floor again and they all stared at the light that now shone on all their faces.

" It's actually kind of pretty, if I can say that," Selene admitted, smiling. The Doctor smiled over at her and nodded once as the light began to dim.

" It's going out, is that okay?" Mickey asked.

" It's on a recharging cycle, it'll loop 'round, power back up and be ready to take us home in, oh, say… twenty-four hours?" The Doctor kissed the power cell, smiling a bit at the tiny little thing that would be able to take them home.

" So that gives us twenty-four hours in a parallel world?"

" Shore leave! As long as we keep our heads down! Easy, no problem. Let's go and tell her," He said before standing, running to grab his coat.

The three exited the TARDIS and bolted outside, looking up and down the walkways for Rose. When she wasn't anywhere in eye-sight Selene ran forward and looked down the paved embankment. She spotted Rose's distant figure on a bench; she was pretty easy to spot since she was wearing a bright pink jacket. Selene turned and pointed in Rose's direction.

" Found her!" She announced, gesturing for them to follow. She hadn't grabbed a coat, but she was getting used to the cool temperature, her cheeks turning a bit pink.

" Good going!" The Doctor told her, giving her a pat on the back. She laughed and rolled her eyes.

" It's pretty easy to find a missing person when you actually know where they'll be," She pointed out with a smirk, earning a laugh from the two men, who she walked between. Although she was smiling and trying to seem in a good mood, she felt a little… dead inside. After that dream and after seeing who she thought had been her family, her mind was just dwelling on the fact she couldn't see them again. And also the fact that Rose was so focused on her father at that point in time meant that this was going to be harder than she initially thought it all was going to be.

" There you are!" The Doctor called out as they neared Rose. " You alright? No applause, I fixed it!" The Doctor held up the power cell and grinned. The blond woman just stared at him for a moment from where she sat on the back of the bench, her feet resting on the seat. " Twenty-four hours then we're flying back to reality!" The Doctor sat to Rose's left and Selene dashed forward in front of Mickey to steal his seat on Rose's right. That earned her a playfully annoyed look, which made her genuinely laugh quietly before they all looked up at Rose.

The Doctor noticed her eyes cast down sadly to the phone in her hands an his face immediately fell and turned a tad annoyed.

" What is it?" He asked in a monotone. Rose looked down at him and shook the mobile a bit.

" My phone connected. There's this… Cybus network. It finds your phone…" There was a short pause. " It gave me internet access."

" _Rose_, whatever it says, this is the _wrong world_," The Doctor told her sternly. He was getting tired of having to speak to her like she was a disobedient child, it was rather annoying, especially since he knew she definitely didn't have that sort of attitude normally.

" I don't exist."

" What do you mean?"

" There's no Rose Tyler. I was never born," Rose informed them, her voice obviously depressed. " There's Pete, my Dad, and Jackie… He _still_ married Mum, but they never had kids.

" Give me that phone," The Doctor demanded, reaching for it. Rose moved her hand quickly away from his grasp, only to have the phone pulled from her hand by Selene, who then put it in her pocket. When Rose gave her a look that clearly meant she was tired and sad and wanted the phone back, Selene gave her an apologetic smile.

" They're rich," Rose continued once she realized Selene wasn't going to give her phone back. " They got a house and cars and everything they want. But they haven't got me."  
Rose jumped off the bench and held her hand out to Selene. The two had a moment where they just sort of looked each other and registered the other's sadness. That's when Selene looked down and extracted the phone from her jeans pocket and gently replaced it in Rose's palm. Rose turned away for a moment before turning back.

" I've got to see him," She said, brown eyes glittering tearfully.

" _You can't_," The Doctor stated firmly for what seemed to be the thousandth time.

" I just want to see him!" She complained.

" I can't let you!" He said, leaning forward, shaking his head.

" You just said twenty-four hours!"

" You can't become their daughter! That's not the way it works! Mickey, tell her!"

" Twenty-four hours, yeah?" Mickey asked as he came out of thought. He stood and began to walk away.

" Mickey, please don't!" Selene begged, being ripped from her own thoughts.

" Where are _you_ going!?" The Doctor demanded, jumping to his Converse clad feet.

" Well I can do what I want!" Mickey proclaimed as Selene stood, beginning to try and reason with him.

" I've got the address and everything!" Rose told them, also beginning to walk away.

" Stay where you are, _both of you!_ Rose, come back here! Mickey, come back here, right now!" The Doctor shouted angrily, brows creasing and arching in a completely put off manor.

" I just want to see him!"

" Yeah I've got things to see and all!" The Doctor spun to face Mickey.

" _Like what!?_"

" Well you don't know anything about me, do ya? It's always about Rose. I'm just a spare part," Mickey said.

" I'm sorry, I've got to go," Rose called again, walking off. The Doctor looked back at Mickey.

" Go on then. There's no choice is there? You can only chase after one of us and it's never gonna be me is it?"

" Back here, twenty-four hours!" The Doctor yelled to him, seizing Selene's arm and dragging her into a run to follow Rose.

" Yeah… If I haven't found something _better,_" Muttered Mickey as he watched the two round the corner after the blond.

" They never listen, _never!_" The Doctor told Selene as his hand slid from her wrist to her hand as they chased after Rose's figure ahead of them. " It's nice to have you around, you actually seem to listen!" Selene smirked slightly.

" They do listen, they really do. They just don't always show it, believe me, we all know that one must always trust their Doctor," She told him as they continued to run. She squeezed his hand a bit on the last sentence, her face becoming almost immediately distant as her thoughts bounced back to her family. The two slowed down as the approached Rose, who was walking at a swift pace.

The Doctor took notice of how distant Selene was again, just like when she'd walked into the TARDIS. Her face was sad, like that morning, as well. It was almost like a flashback to the _SS Madame de Pompadour_, when they were walking together and he'd noticed something was up with her. He decided it shouldn't become a normal thing because he rather liked Selene's normally upbeat nature.

" What's wrong?" He asked as they kept walking. Selene paused. She didn't deny that something was, in fact wrong, but she seemed to be debating something.

" I thought I saw my family and myself walking down the street earlier. I don't think it should be possible, but… I swear to got it looked just like my family…" She told him, looking and sounding troubled. She looked up at him quickly. " But, that shouldn't be possible, right? Because I _never_ truly existed in your universe, so I can't have a parallel family _here_… right?" She sounded like she needed confirmation about it all. It was really troubling her.

The Doctor stared down at her, looking a bit shocked at what she had said. In a way, she was right. If this world was a direct parallel from _his_ universe, then she probably wouldn't have had a alternate self. However, she had been a part of events in his universe and that could easily have created another Selene in _this_ universe. All the Doctor could think to say was,

" Well… stranger things have happened." And with those words, they caught up with Rose, finally releasing Selene's pale hand.

_That's as good as an explanation can get in the Doctor Who universe, I suppose,_ Selene thought to herself with a shrug.

OOOO

Mickey had been wandering the still familiar streets of the alternate London, walking towards where he knew his grandmother had lived. He was hoping she was still alive here, not dead like reality. What he noticed was different were that there were patrol men. They looked to be military guards with guns and helmets and uniforms. The other differences were the fences and signs that were put around the city. The vacant buildings and lots that were being advertised by Cybus industries.

As Mickey approached the smaller sized neighborhood, a military guard stepped forward from a roadblock.

" Am I allowed to get past?" Mickey asked, pointing down the street.

" Yeah, no bother. Curfew doesn't start till ten," The guard replied. Mickey raised his eyebrows at the man's words.

" There's a curfew?" He asked. The soldier gave him a look, which clearly said that he thought Mickey was crazy.

" 'Course there is! Where have you been living mate? Up there with the toffs?" They looked up to the zeppelins.

_No, just being under-appreciated in a blue time machine…_ he thought to himself wryly.

" I wish," Mickey replied. He began to walk towards the road block, calling back, " See ya." A second soldier lifted up the road block and let Mickey duck under.

OOOO

Rose, Selene and the Doctor were walking down a crowded street that was teeming with civilians as well as patrol men. Rose had been telling the two about Mickey's past, something that Selene had known about, but the Doctor had never bothered to ask.

" Mickey's mum just couldn't cope. His dad hung around for a while but then he just sort of wandered off," She was explaining as they headed down the street, the grey sky adding to the grim and dull feeling of the day. " He was brought up by his Gran. She was _such_ a great woman, God, she used to _slap_ him!" Rose laughed a bit, looking down. " But then s-she died… she tripped and fell down the stairs. It was about five years ago now, I was still in school." There was a pause of silence before the Doctor replied.

" I never knew." He said.

" Well, you never asked."

" You never said!" He retorted.

" That's Mickey. I suppose I… _we_ just take him for granted," Rose said sadly.

" We really shouldn't," Selene added in, talking for the first time in the past ten or so minutes. " He's a really good guy. He's starting to become a brother to me." Rose smiled a bit at her, nudging her shoulder at her friendly comment.

" You two have grown on each other, I can tell. But… do you think she's still alive, his Gran?" Rose asked curiously.

" Could be. Like I said; parallel world, gingerbread house. We need to get out of here as _fast_ as we can," The Doctor said as they wove around people.

A beeping resounded around the street and suddenly everyone froze, all movement stopping completely, all speech hindered. The three looked around at the eerie sight.

" What're they all doing?" Rose asked.

" They've stopped…" The Doctor replied as they walked around slowly.

" Well, obviously," Muttered Selene sarcastically, not catching the look she received from the Time Lord. " I swear to _God_ this is like some sort of… _horror_ movie! I mean, look at them all." She waved a hand in front of a man's face, not earning a flinch or a blink. " It's like they're zombies waiting to attack!"

_Leave it to Selene to make some sort of joke,_ Rose thought with an internal chuckle as she watched the American woman look around.

" I agree, it's freaky, them stopping like that. What do you think could be causing it?" Rose asked. Tiny blue lights were flashing on the earpieces the people wore, creating a high-pitched beeping sound. The Doctor leaned in towards a man, staring at the silver earpiece in his left ear, which also sported the Cybus Industries logo.

" It's the earpieces…" The Doctor muttered. " Like Bluetooth attachments, but everyone's connected together."

Rose pulled out her beeping phone and stared at the screen.

" It's on my phone," She told the two, holding it up. " It's automatic, look, it's downloading."

" It's bound to be what everyone else is receiving, I mean, otherwise they'd be stopping at separate times with separate pieces of information," Selene reasoned as she stared down at Rose's phone. The Doctor pulled on his glasses and stared at it as well. " Look, they're getting news, international news," Selene began, pointing to the words on the tiny screen.

" Sports, weather…" Rose continued.

" They get it direct, downloaded right into their heads," The Doctor told the two women, looking up at the people around them.

" T.V. schedules, lottery numbers."

" Everyone shares the same information. Daily download published by _Cybus Industries_," The Doctor said as he took Rose's phone, staring at the logo at the top of the screen. Selene was still getting used to not being able to just point out 'hey, 'Cybus' sounds like 'Cyber', right? What aliens do we all know about that begin with 'Cyber?' Sometimes it killed her inside to not be able to say it, but she always had to remind herself of what consequences would come if she _did_ say that.

The word 'JOKE' appeared on the phone screen and at the same time, in true horror movie fashion, everyone broke out into laughter. The three time travelers looked around in shock as everyone began to movie again, moving along with their day.

" I really hope my world doesn't end up like this… not like I'll ever know, but I pray for my family," Selene commented with a shudder.

" Speaking of which, you lot, you're _obsessed!_ You'd do _anything_ for the latest upgrade," The Doctor commented, still searching through the Cybus databases available on Rose's mobile.

" Oi, not my lot," Both Rose and Selene said at the same time, and they looked at each other, seeming like they were now repressing a small amount of laughter. It seemed like Selene was picking up some British phrases and words now, which had begun to seem natural after hearing them all the time.

" Different _worlds_ remember?" Rose asked, gesturing to both herself and Selene.

" It's not so far off your worlds. This place is only parallel," He commented. " Oh, look at that. Cybus Industries, owners of just about every company in Britain, including _Vitex,_ Mr. Pete Tyler's very well connected." He looked down at Rose, who was smiling up at him with a mix of hope and a knowing look. She knew that the Doctor couldn't resist something as odd as Cybus Industries owning _every_ company in Britain, could he? " Oh, okay, I give up, let's go and see him."

Rose grinned as the three made their way down the street, getting ready for the long walk ahead of them.

OOOO

Mickey turned onto Waterton Street, heading towards a familiar looking door, his heart racing. What if she wasn't alive here? What if she _was?_ What then? How could he leave if she was alive here and not back in reality? He reached the door and flicked the knocker up and down a bit, waiting nervously for someone to answer the door.

" Who's that there!?" Called out the familiar voice of his grandmother, Rita Ann. The door opened and a woman stepped into the doorway. " Who is it?" She asked. " I know you're there, shame on you for tricking an old lady!" She wore tinted glasses and earpieces, a white cane clutched in her hands. " I've got nothing worth stealing! And don't think I'm going to disappear, you're not gonna take me!"

" Hi," Mickey finally managed to say through his shock. Rita Ann froze at Mickey's voice.

" Is that you?" She asked hopefully.

" It's me. I came home."

" Rickey?" She asked, one hand coming up to touch the side of his face.

" It's Mickey," He corrected softly.

" I know my own grandson's name. It's _Rickey_. Now come here." Rita Ann allowed him to give her a hug, which she happily returned.

" Okay, I'm Rickey. Of course I am, Rickey, that's me," He muttered, completely overwhelmed by the fact that he was holding his Gran again. Suddenly Rita Ann reached out and smacked him against the cheek. " Ow!"

" You stupid boy! Where have you been!?" She smacked him against the arm, earning another groan from him.

" Stop hitting me!" He insisted.

" It's been days and days! I keep hearing all these stories, people disappearing off the streets! There's nothing official on the download, but there all these rumors and… and whispers! I thought they'd gone and disappeared you!" She said in a panic. Mickey eyed a torn piece of carpet on the stairs behind her. He looked at her sadly.

" That carpet on the stairs, I told you to get it fixed," He said, voice breaking. " You're gonna… fall and break your neck."

" Well _you_ get it fixed for me."

" I should have done, way back. I guess I'm just kinda useless."

" Now, I _never_ said that," Rita Ann assured him.

" I am though," Mickey said, agreeing with a lot of unspoken statements. " And I'm sorry, Gran, I'm so sorry."

" Don't talk like that. Do you know what you need? A nice sit-down and a cup of tea. You got time?" She asked hopefully. Mickey smiled.

" For you, I've got all the time in the world," He responded. How could he leave now? Now that he knew that she was here, that she was alive? He couldn't… he just couldn't… could he?

" You say that, but it's all talk. It's those new friends of yours. I don't trust them."

" What friends are they?" He asked curiously.

" Don't pretend you don't know! You've been seen. Mrs. Chan told me! Driving about all helter-skelter in that van!"

" What van's that then?"

" You know full well!" She said in exasperation as tires screeched on the street. " Don't play games with me! Get inside!" A blue van swerved up to the curve behind Mickey and the blond man who had been at the dump, named Jake, sprung out and grabbed him, yanking him back towards the van's open door.

" I've been looking for you everywhere!" Jake exclaimed, pushing him inside. He jumped in after Mickey and slammed the door shut, the van peeling down the street, leaving Rita Ann calling out for her grandson, Rickey.

" Rickey, you were the one who told us 'you don't contact your family 'cause it puts them in danger'!" Jake said a disbelieving look on his face.

" Yeah, Rickey said that. 'Course I did. Just testing," Mickey said, playing along with the whole 'Rickey' thing.

" I saw them. I taped them. They went 'round Blackfriars gathering up the homeless like the child catcher! They must've took four dozen!"

" The vans were hired out to a company called International Electromatics. But I did a protocol search, turns out that's a dummy company established by guess who," Said the woman driving the van, Mrs. Moore, who was also wearing all black like Jake and she had short cropped ice-blond hair. Mickey paused before asking,

" I don't know. Who?"

" Cybus Industries!" The other two said at the same time, Jake giving him a look.

" Well, now we've got evidence!" Jake announced happily.

" Bad new is, they arrested Thin Jimmy. So that just leaves you," Moore informed Mickey.

" Leaves me what?"

" The number one," Jake told him with a smile. " Top of the list! London's Most Wanted!" Mickey laughed a bit then said,

" Okay, cool… say that again?"

Just after night fall, Jake, Moore and Mickey pulled up outside of a darkened building where a single light was on. Jake jumped out and noted the light, immediately spinning around.

" There's a light on. There's someone inside the base. Mrs. Moore, we've got visitors!" Jake informed as Mickey hopped out. Jake and Moore pulled their guns and ran forward, Mickey following. They paused outside the open door, ready to run in.

" One… two… three, go!" They all bolted inside, pointing their guns at the figure by the fireplace. The figure turned to look at Jake and Moore and Mickey.

" _What the hell are you doing?_" Came the aggravated sound of _Mickey's_ voice from the person by the fireplace. In fact, the figure looked _exactly_ like Mickey, except dressed all in black, and his face was pulled into an angry expression. Jake and Moore lowered their guns as they glanced between the two look-alikes.

" What are you doing there!?" Asked Jake in confusion.

" What am I doing here?" Asked the Mickey look-a-like. He walked forward and menacingly pointed at Mickey. " What am I doing _there?_"

With those words, the words of the actual _Rickey_, Moore and Jake turned their guns on Mickey, who held up his hands, looking confused.

OOOO

Night had brought along a coolness to the air that wasn't too pleasant without a coat, as Selene learned as she, the Doctor, and Rose sat atop a small hill by the road that led up to the Tyler residence. They watched as limos passed and made their way towards the estate, only guessing what guests were arriving. The walk there had actually been rather pleasant, although it was a work out for the feet. The conversation on the way over had been mostly about alternate worlds and such, some of the explanations the Doctor gave, making Selene and Rose's heads hurt.

" They've got visitors," The Doctor mentioned, nodding after a black limo. Selene, who had actually been in a better mood since the walk over rolled her eyes and gave him a look.

" Really? I thought they ran a taxi service," She teased, earning a snort from Rose and a playful shove on the arm from the Time Lord.

" Well, I'm not too sure about the taxi service, but it _is_ February the first, my Mum's birthday. Even in a parallel universe, she still loves a party," Rose muttered, suddenly remembering the date.

" Well, given Pete Tyler's guest list, I wouldn't mind a look," The Doctor said, his voice getting that distant sound that it always got when he slipped into thought. " _And_ there _is_ one guaranteed way of getting inside." He casually removed the psychic paper in its little wallet from inside his coat, holding it between two fingers. Rose and Selene broke into a grin at the sight of it.

" Psychic paper!" Rose exclaimed happily.

" Who do you two wanna be?" He asked as they stood. As they began to walk down the small hill, Selene shook her head, disbelief of this being reality once again hitting her like a ton of bricks.

" Could I see that?" She asked gesturing to the psychic paper. The Doctor saw the excitement in her face and grinned, holding it out to her. She took it gently as they made their way towards the door, looking over the black wallet-like holder around it. Selene shook her head as she flipped it open, briefly glancing over the paper, too fast to see what words were actually there. She handed it back, still grinning. " Amazing. Just… absolutely amazing, I can't believe it's real!" She shook her head and blew out a breath, trying to calm herself. " Sorry, fan-girl moment."

" No, no, it's fine, I always love seeing someone get excited, it helps me remember how brilliant the universe is," He told her with a grin. They stepped up to the man that stood by the door. The Doctor held up the psychic paper to the man. " Hello, Sir, sorry we're late, bit of a, uh, snag with the transportation," The Doctor told him. The man took the psychic paper, read over it and handed it back, giving the three a disdainful look.

" You should have been here at least two hours ago. Get to the kitchen, quickly please, and, for God's sake, _put on your uniforms, dammit!_" The man hissed at them, gesturing angrily through the doorway. The three quickly rushed inside, Selene taking a moment to shoot him an equally disdain filled look before rushing off to catch up with the Doctor and Rose.

" Well isn't he all sunshine and daisies," She said sarcastically as they rushed into the kitchens, avoiding guests. Rose laughed at her comment, and the Doctor chuckled.

" Not everyone is," He commented. The three continued to laugh quietly as they walked into the kitchen, where they were yelled at by a man who spoke so fast all they could catch (_literally_) were the uniforms that were tossed at them.

Minutes later, Rose and Selene had changed into a black dress that had a while collar and sleeves lined with white, a white apron around their waists. The skirt of the dress fell to about their knees and both wore black stockings and their shoes from earlier as well as having the top few buttons undone, hair hanging loose. The Doctor wore a tuxedo with a bow tie (Selene desperately resisted the urge to say something about that), and they were each handed a tray to carry out to the party. They were wait staff.

Selene felt perfectly in place; she had been a waitress in Boston, after all. She walked between Rose and the Doctor, balancing a tray of small horderves, and had her other hand held behind her back. The party was filled with men and women dressed in lavish clothing and talking about indistinct things, their voices meshing into each other. They all sported earpieces, of course, and every once and a while, the three time travelers turned waiter and waitresses were stopped by a guest so they could take a new refreshment.

" We could've been _anyone_," Rose almost growled to the Doctor as they entered a large parlor room that seemed to more resemble a ball room.

" It got us in, didn't it?" He replied from the corner of his mouth.

" _You're_ the one in charge of the psychic paper, we could've been _guests!_ Celebrities; _Sir_ Doctor, _Dames_ Rose and Selene!" Rose said. Selene smiled a bit, pleased Rose included her in that statement, which had actually been a reference to Tooth and Claw, which she hadn't been with them for. " We end up serving? I did enough of _this_ back home!"

" If you want to know what's going on, work in the kitchens," The Doctor said knowledgeably. Selene gave that a thought and then nodded.

" That is actually really true. Back in Boston, at the restaurant I worked at, you could literally find out _anything_ in the kitchens; it was how we kept ourselves entertained really," Selene admitted, remembering the time it had been a slow night so everyone just gathered around and gossiped for at least an hour and a half. Rose rolled her eyes at her friend's comment and the Doctor smirked a tiny bit as he made his way around the room again, both women close to follow.

" According to Lucy, that man over there," The Doctor nodded to a man with chocolate colored skin, graying hair and wearing an expensive suit.

" Who's Lucy?" Rose asked before he could continue. Selene sensed the jealousy again and bit her lip as the two exchanged a rather awkward look.

" She's… carrying the salmon pinwheels," He said, nodding towards another woman on the wait staff.

" Oh, _that's_ Lucy, is it?" Rose asked with a quirked eyebrow.

" Yeah. Lucy says _that_ is the president of great Britain." Rose's brows furrowed.

" What, there's a president, not a prime minister?"

" Seems so!" The Doctor said with a nod.

" Or _maybe_ Lucy's just a bit _thick_," Suggested Rose in a mutter. The Doctor took a step forward and kept walking around the room, Selene and Rose following again.

" Nice one," Selene said to Rose, in reference of the little insult Rose had been able to sneak in. Rose smirked at her and the two laughed a bit, almost feeling like they were back in school, gossiping about that guy that everyone liked… which they almost were, but that was beside the point.

" Excuse me! Thank you very much." Came Pete Tyler's voice from the staircase. Rose's smile dropped as her ear immediately caught his voice and she made a quick bee-line to the stairs. People gave quiet claps as they gathered around and quieted down. " Thank you very much. Um, I'd just like to say thank you to you all for coming on this, uh… this very special occasion."

Rose, Selene and the Doctor stood off to the side, staring up at Pete, who had his hands clasped behind his back, stumbling over his words a bit. Rose smiled at the sight of her father, and Selene felt that tiny little pull of sadness at the back of her head in regards to her own family, but she pushed it aside, knowing that she'd have to ignore it for… well… probably the rest of her life.

" My wife's… _thirty-ninth_," He informed, causing the crowd to laugh a bit. He laughed as well. " Trust me on this." He mimicked his campaign posters by giving a subtle thumbs up. " And so, without further ado, here she is, the birthday girl, my lovely wife, Jackie Tyler."

While Rose and Selene watched the two Tyler's on the staircase, the Doctor had his eyes mostly trained on Rose, watching her expressions. Jackie descended the stairs wearing a beautiful black silk dress, her blond hair curled and twisted up into an up-do. Everyone clapped and gave small cheers as she came to stand beside her husband, smiling at everyone.

" Now, I'm not giving a speech, that's what my parties are famous for; no work, no politics, just a few good mates and plenty of black-market whisky." Everyone laughed at her comment, and Jackie smiled and turned to look at the president. " Pardon me, Mr. President. So, yeah! Get on with it! Enjoy, enjoy!" She insisted with a happy voice and a smile. Rose had been watching in disbelief. Everything was so… different. It was like she was watching a television show where the cast members were people from her life playing a character, but it quite obviously wasn't.

Pete and Jackie took each other's hands and walked past the trio, not sparing them a glance. Rose watched them go, a look of undefined emotion on her face.

" You can't stay, even if there was some way of telling them," The Doctor told Rose in a quiet voice.

" 'Course I can't," Rose replied, eyes distant again. " I've still got my Mum at home; my _real_ Mum. I couldn't just leave her, could I? It's just…" She paused, looking at the floor before looking back up. " _They've_ got each other. Mum's got no one."

" She's got _you_, those two haven't!" The Doctor amended her mistake. " All these different worlds, not one of them gets it right."

" Rose!" Jackie's voice exclaimed joyfully and they all snapped their heads in Jackie's direction, only to see her grinning at her little lap dog. " There's my little girl! Come to Mummy! Come to Mummy!" As Jackie continued to coo over her dog, the Doctor looked over at Rose, a carefully blank look on it. Rose and Selene looked up at him and he began to laugh, earning murderous looks from the both of them.

" Sorry…" He muttered, looking down as he stopped laughing, head bowing like a child who'd been scolded.

OOOO

Mickey hadn't been having much more of a fun time than Rose, Selene and the Doctor; he had been stripped down to his underwear and tied to a chair, being scanned by some odd device to be checked for any sort of weapons and other such things.

" He's clean. No bugs," Jake informed as he stood.

" But _this_ is off the scale," Rickey said, stepping forward to stare at Mickey. " I mean, he's flesh and blood. How did that happen?"

" Well, it could be that Cybus Industries have perfected the science of human cloning. Or your father had a bike." Moore suggested. Something Mickey immediately observed was that Rickey's face seemed to be perpetually locked in a look of anger or displeasure. It never left his face, and it seemed to be his one main emotion.

" And your name is _Mickey_, not _Rickey_?" Rickey asked as he went to stand behind Mickey.

" Mickey. Dad was Jackson Smith, used to work at the key cutters in Clifton's Parade. Went to Spain, never came back," Mickey explained, trying to keep his voice even and under control. Rickey bent at the knees to stare at Mickey closer. He exhaled sharply.

" But that's _my Dad._ So… we're brothers?"

" Be fair. What else could it be?" Questioned Jake.

" I don't know. But he doesn't just _look_ like me, he is exactly the same. There's something else going on here, Jake," Rickey said as he looked Mickey over again.

" S-so who are you lot?" Mickey asked, stuttering a bit.

" We? We are the Preachers, as in Gospel Truth," He said, moving to stand in front of him. He pointed to his ears. " See? No ear-pods. While the rest of the world downloads from Cybus Industries, we, _we _have got freedom. You're talking to London's Most Wanted! But target number one is Lumic and we _are_ going to bring him down," He told him, leaning in close, that angry look still on his face.

Mickey looked around the room.

" From your kitchen?" He asked. Rickey looked over to Moore and Jake, as if asking for a good response. Jake only smirked. Rickey's head snapped back to look at Mickey.

" _You got a problem with that?_" He asked harshly.

" No, it's a good kitchen."

" It's an upload from Gemini," Moore announced when a beeping emanated from her computer.

" Who's Gemini?" Asked Mickey in confusion.

" The vans are back. They're moving out to Battersea. Looks like Gemini is right. Lumic is finally making a move," She said, looking up to Rickey.

" And we're right behind him, pack up. We're leaving," Demanded Rickey, eyeing Mickey again. " Get him some proper clothes, he'll be coming with us."

So that's how Mickey ended up in an all black ensemble, sitting in the back of a blue van. He watched as Jake and Moore began to set up their guns, the only sound was the clicking of pieces locking into place, and the revving of the van engine as they sped down the street.

OOOO

Back at the Tyler house, Rose had moved to stay serve in the parlor/ball room and the Doctor had momentarily disappeared from sight, leaving Selene alone and she kept herself awkwardly quiet as she served the party guests. She gave small smiles and nods and tried to avoid any questions given to her, seeing as she wouldn't know how to answer them. She had been standing off to the side by the window when she felt someone place a warm hand on her shoulder. She jumped and spun around, spotting the Doctor. He nodded towards the hallway and she obliged his demand and followed him to the darkened hallway by the kitchens.

" I think I might need your help with something. I need to find a computer of some sort, I need to get on to find out what Cybus Industries is doing. I mean, they've bought all the stores in Britain, they're up to something," The Doctor whispered to her. She nodded and looked around.

" And since a certain Pete Tyler has a company connected with Cybus, and this is in fact his home…" She smirked. " Lets go find us a computer," She grinned as they both made their way down the hall. She paused at a slightly ajar door and he kept walking as she peered inside, spotting a computer. She crossed her arms and smirked, leaning against the doorframe. The Doctor froze and backed up. Selene pointed to the computer with a smirk. He looked around before ducking inside, pulling her with him.

The Doctor shut the door completely, walking over to the computer, pulling his glasses on. He chuckled as he bent over to start his search.

" And this is so much more exciting than any other catering job I have ever done," Selene said to herself as she leaned against the desk beside the computer, watching the Doctor work.

Rose watched Jackie laugh as she spoke with the _President of Great Britain._ How wonky was this world going to get? She couldn't help but think the Doctor's comment wasn't really true; the fact that Jackie had her. Rose was always popping in then leaving again with the Doctor, leaving her mother alone. But here Jackie had a husband… she had someone, and that made Rose feel just that bit more sad.

" I remember her twenty-first. Pint of cider in the George," Pete said as he stepped up beside Rose, watching his wife. He chuckled a bit and Rose gave a small smile before averting her eyes for a moment.

" Sorry, champagne?" She asked, holding out her champagne tray. Pete looked down at the glasses and took one.

" Oh, might as well, I'm paying for it," He said and the two chuckled a bit.

" It's a big night for you," Rose commented.

" Well, for her. Still, she's happy."

" Yeah, she should be, it's a great party."

" Do you think?" Pete asked with honest curiosity. Rose looked down and bit her lip, glancing back up at him, smiling a bit.

" You can trust me," Rose said in a quiet, guessing tone, trying to remember what phrase he had on his posters. He chuckled.

" Uh-uh, you can trust me on _this_," He corrected, giving the wink that he always did.

" That's it, sorry, yeah," Rose said with a laugh. " So, um… how long have you two been married?"

" Twenty years," He told her.

" No kids or…"

" We kept putting it off. She said she didn't want to spoil her figure."

" It's not too late, she's only forty," Rose said quietly, keeping the tray balanced.

" Thirty-nine," He jokingly corrected.

" Oh, right, thirty-nine," She agreed, laughing a bit. They both laughed together a bit, which felt completely natural. Pete looked over at Jackie and sighed a bit.

" Still too late. I moved out last month. But we're gonna keep it quiet, you know. It's bad for business," He said quietly. Rose's smile had fallen at the words he'd just spoken. " Why am I telling you all this? We haven't met before, have we? I don't know, you just seem sort of…"

" What?"

" I don't know just sort of… right," He muttered. A man caught his eye and he stepped forward. " Stevie! How's things? How's it going at Torchwood?"

The Doctor and Selene watched as he pulled up a presentation stored on the computer in the back room.

" _The most precious thing on this Earth is the human brain._" Came John Lumic's voice and Selene watched as the Doctor's eyebrows scrunched up as he peered through his square-framed glasses at the screen. Selene had to admit she'd always loved his glasses. They just made him look all that more attractive and just that bit more adorable. She suddenly found that she was no longer looking at the screen, but she was staring at _him_ as he watched, noticing every movement he made, noting how good he looked in a tuxedo. She quickly looked off to glance out the window into the night, feeling heat rise to her cheeks in a blush.

Selene had to admit she'd found herself staring at him more than once recently. And every time she did, she reminded herself she _could not fall for him_. She couldn't. He loved _Rose_ and always did and always _will_. If she fell for the Doctor, she'd become like all the other companions who had as well. She'd end up broken hearted. So, no, she was not falling for the Doctor. She firmly told herself that over and over again as she stared at the window.

_You are not falling for the Doctor._

Rose hadn't been able to help herself. She went and found Jackie. There couldn't be any harm in just _talking_ could there?

Jackie had been sitting out on the porch, staring down at her hands. Rose walked out of the doors and stepped over to her, still holding her tray and her position well.

" Mrs. Tyler, is there anything I can get you?" Rose asked. Jackie looked over at her.

" The last twenty years back," She told the younger blond. She laughed a bit.

" I can manage a glass of champagne. Or a nice cup of tea," Rose suggested.

" Oh, that'd do me!" Jackie agreed, smiling up at Rose. The two laughed a bit and Rose carefully sat down beside her.

" My Mum loves that; end of a long night, she never goes straight to bed. She always stays up just to have the last cup of tea."

" Oh, I'm the same!"

" Two sugars."  
" And me! And Pete always says you know…" Her smile faded. " Ah, never mind him," She said, trailing off at the end.

" I was talking to him earlier," Rose began. " He's a nice man. You know, bit of a Jack the Lad, I suppose, even if he has got money, but… he's a good bloke. Better than most. He's worth a second chance."

" Are you commenting on my marriage?" Jackie suddenly spat, good mood turned foul.

" No, I was just-"

" _Who _the _hell _do you think you are? You're staff! You're nothing but staff! You're just the serving girl, for God's sake! And you are _certainly_ not getting paid. Don't you _dare_ talk to me," Jackie growled before standing and marching back inside, leaving a surprised Rose sitting alone in the cold. There was an hiss and the sound of electronic humming pushed into the air, a bright light blinding the young blond.

She gazed across the lawn to spot figures marching towards the house, making loud clunking sounds as they lifted their legs high and stomped them back to the grass, almost making a mechanic hissing sound as they did so.

" _This is the ultimate upgrade, our greatest step into cyberspace,_" Lumic's voice said in the presentation where the Doctor and Selene had continued to watch.

" Cybus!" The Doctor exclaimed, finally making the connection. His hearts began to beat faster and he snatched up Selene's hand again, yanking her out of the room and towards the guest filled parlor.

He pulled her to a window where Rose now stood and the three stood there, staring out at the now brightly lit lawn. The Doctor cupped his hands against the cold class and peered out, his breath fogging up the glass.

" It's happening again!" He whispered fearfully.

" What do you mean?" Rose asked shakily.

" I've seen them before."

" What are they?"

They came into full view. A row of metal men with hollow eyes, slits for mouths and bulky bodies. They glistened in the light as they marched in perfect sync, the square arches on their heads helping to create eerie shadows on the manicured lawns.

" Cybermen," Both Selene and the Doctor stated. Now, if there had been a scarier moment in Selene's life, she would have been thankful. However, _this_ was now the most horrifying moment. She knew what the Cybermen could do, how destructive and evil they could be, and she _did not_ want that anger and destruction trained on herself or her friends.

Glass shattered as Cybermen burst through windows, marching into the room. Guests screamed and huddled together, backing away from the metal monsters. The Doctor wrapped his arms around Rose's and Selene's shoulders, backing them up from the window, but the trio made a run for it as a line of the Cybermen began to march out of the door beside them. They merged with the crowd as the creatures surrounded them. The president's earpiece rang and he answered with a calm anger.

" Mr. Lumic," He said.

" _Mr. President. I suppose a remark about crashing the party would be appropriate at this point,_" Lumic said with a laugh.

" I forbade this!"

" _These are my children, Sir! Would you deny my family?_"

" What are they, robots?" Rose asked in a whisper. Selene kept her eyes trained on the nearest Cyberman and shook her head.

" No, worse and far more scary," She told her friend quietly.

" Who were these people?" The president demanded of Lumic.

" _Doesn't matter!_" Was Lumic's response.

" They're people?" Rose asked in shock.

" They were," Replied the Doctor in a monotone, staring at the glinting metal men. " Till they had all their humanity taken away. That's a living brain _jammed_ inside a cybernetic body, with a heart of steel. All emotions removed."

" Why no emotions?"

" Because it hurts," He told her.

" And emotions make us human… these things aren't human and aren't meant to be. As Mr. Lumic would put it, it's supposed to be 'the ultimate upgrade,'" Selene added on just before the president started yelling again.

" I demand to know, Lumic!" He shouted. " These people, who were they?"

" _The homeless and wretched and useless! Until I saved then and elevated them and gave them life eternal! And now I leave you in their capable hands. Goodnight, Sir. Goodnight, Mr. President!_" And with that, Lumic disconnected.

A Cyberman stepped forward to be less than a foot away from the president.

" _We have been upgraded,_" It told him, it's slit of a mouth lighting up blue as it spoke. It pronounced everything distinctly and clearly, it's voice almost double-toned.

" Into what?" Demanded the Doctor.

" _The next level of mankind_._ We are human point two. Every citizen will receive a free upgrade. You will become like us._"

" I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for what's been done to you," The president said, walking down a row of Cybermen, staring at their metal faces forever locked in indifference. " But listen to me. This experiment ends tonight!"

" _Upgrading is compulsory,_" The Cyberman stated.

" And if I refuse?"

" Don't," The Doctor said with a slight shake to his voice. Rose saw the concern on his face and immediately knew this wasn't about to end well.

" What if I refuse?"  
" I'm telling you, don't!" The Doctor pleaded.

" What happens if I refuse?" Demanded the president one last time.

" _Then you are not compatible._"

" What happens then?"

" _You will be deleted,_" The Cyberman informed.

_Well, there's that famous line for you…_ Selene thought grimly as she watched the Cyberman lift a heavy arm and drop it's hand onto the president's shoulder with lightning speed. Blue electricity pulsated across the president's body, affectively stopping his heart, making him collapse. All hell then broke loose.

Guests began to scream and run, Pete was calling for his wife in concern, and worst of all, the Cybermen were killing anyone they could get their hands on. In the fray, Selene had been pushed away from the Doctor and Rose, being shoved into the wall. It took her a moment to shake the blurriness from her eyes as she looked in front of her to see a familiar and unwelcome sight; the glinting 'C' that was displayed on the chest of a Cyberman. She quickly began to back away as it lifted it's arm, reaching towards her. She luckily felt two hands yank her backwards just as she was about to be touched. She tumbled backwards into the Doctor's chest, affectively earning a blush from herself before he grabbed his companion's hands and dragged them towards a broken window.

" There's nothing we can do!" He told them. As they leapt out, Rose wrenched her hand from the Doctor's turning back to the house.

" My Mum's in there!" She said, staring back at the chaos. The sound of buzzing electricity met their ears as the Doctor snatched her hand again.

" Not your Mother, Rose, come on!" Selene insisted as they continued to run from the house. They skid on their feet, turning away from another line of Cybermen approaching the house, and turned to run the other way. They were about to round the corner when Pete jumped through the window.

" Pete! Pete!" Rose called out, and Pete began to follow the three as the rounded the corner of the house. As they froze, the Doctor looked at Pete.

" Pete, is there a way out?" He asked.

" The side gates!" Pete pointed towards them and they made that their destination. As they began to run, no longer holding hands or arms to keep up with each other, Pete looked at the Doctor. " Who are you, how do you know so much?"

" You wouldn't believe it in a million years!" The Doctor shouted as they all skidded to a stop as more Cybermen came forward. They paused as they saw no way out, only seeing two figures running towards them, backlit by headlights.

" Who's that?" Rose asked.

" Get behind me!" Rickey called out as he and Jake ran forward. The four ran towards them and ducked behind the two as they shot at the Cybermen. The bullets bounced off harmlessly but it did stop their marching. Rose stared at Rickey, thinking it was Mickey and said,

" Oh my God, look at you! I thought I'd never see you again!" She pulled him into a hug, his face contorted in anger, as usual. He pulled away and stared down at her.

" Yeah, no offence, sweetheart, but who the hell are you?" He asked Rose, who stared at him, shocked. His eyes wandered over to Selene who met his eyes and he looked her over. " And who the hell are _you?_" She raised her eyebrows at him just as they heard Mickey call out,

" Rose! Selene!" They spun around to see him running towards them. " That's not me! That's, like, the other one!"

" Oh, as if things weren't bad enough, now there are two Mickey's?" Complained the Doctor, looking upset. Rickey's head snapped in the Doctor's direction.

" It's Rickey," He corrected, eyes flickering to Selene for a moment.

" But there's more of them," Mickey informed, looking at the Cybermen, which were now surrounding them.

" Put the guns down, bullets won't stop them," The Doctor stated. His request fell on deaf ears as Mickey and Jake began to fire their guns again. Selene jumped at the sudden sound and its close proximity and she covered her ears, wincing. " No! Stop shooting, now!" The Doctor made Jake stop firing as the Cybermen continued to advance. " We surrender! Hands up!" Everyone raised their hands to the air, looking around. " There's no need to damage us, we're good stock. We volunteer for the upgrade program. Take us to be processed."

" _You are rouge element,_" A Cyberman informed them.

" But we surrender!" The Doctor said again.

" _You are incompatible._"

" But this is a surrender!" He said yet again.

" _You will be deleted._"

" But we're surrendering! Listen to me! We surrender!"

Selene stepped up next to him.

" I don't think that's gonna work anymore… I really, _really_ wish it would, but I don't think it will…" She said to him, eyes still fearfully trained on the Cybermen. She knew they got out of this in the show, but with her here, little things changed, and this could be one of them.

" _You are inferior, man will be reborn as Cyberman, but you will perish under maximum deletion._" It stretched its hand out towards them. " _Delete. Delete. Delete. Delete._"

_**To Be Continued…**_

_**Afterword: And there you have it, chapter four! Hope it was okay, it was actually kind of difficult to fit Selene into this properly, so I hope it was okay! **_

_** Review replies!**_

**fanfreak4ever:**_ I'm really glad you've enjoyed the story so far! And I've been watching every new episode in the season each Saturday XD It's so far so good in my opinion! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, thanks again for the review!_

**TheGirlWhoImagined:**_ I'm glad you're liking the story so far and I hope this chapter was okay! Thanks again for the review!_

**loulouflowerpower:**_ Thanks so much for the review! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!_

**aandm20:**_ I actually took that into consideration after I got your review, and I think your right, it wouldn't mess anything up, so, I decided to add in the beginning that she did eventually tell them the name of the ship. Thanks again and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!  
_**grapejuice101:**_ Yeah, the end of that episode always makes me cry =( Thank you for helping me out with that chapter, by the way, same with the dream at the beginning of this one. I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks again!_

**notwritten:**_ Glad you think it's interesting and hope this chapter was okay! Thanks again!_

**Mathea2005:**_ Hope this chapter was up to expectations! Thanks again for the review!_

**Gamerlady123:**_ Yeah, that episode is so sad DX Also, I will do the Shakespearian Code, I love that episode so much! I look forward to writing it! Thanks again for the review and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!  
_**recklessl0ve:**_ That episode is just always sad… always will be… anyway, I'm glad you liked it and hope you liked this chapter! Thanks again!_

**E-man-dy-S:**_ I hope you liked the chapter, and I'm glad your liking the chapter thus far! Thanks again!_

_**And thanks to those who have also added this to their story subscriptions or their favorites! Means the world!**_

_** Again, I hope this chapter was okay, I'm not sure if Selene fit in that well. I hope you're all enjoying the new season as well! I really enjoyed 'A Town Called Mercy' last night! Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter and please review to let me know how I've been doing! Also, anyone who reads this that reads my Sherlock fic, I'll be updating that one next, so the wait will be over soon! Thanks again you guys, reviews please!**_

_**~Mary**_


	5. Age Of Steel

_Disclaimer: I unfortunately do not own Doctor Who (the worlds, the aliens/creatures etc.) or any of the characters. I only own my OC Selene._

5. Age Of Steel

_** " There's no need to damage us, we're good stock. We volunteer for the upgrade program. Take us to be processed."**_

_** " You are rouge element," A Cyberman informed them.**_

_** " But we surrender!" The Doctor said again.**_

_** " You are incompatible." **_

_** " But this is a surrender!" He said yet again. **_

_** " You will be deleted."**_

_** " But we're surrendering! Listen to me! We surrender!"**_

_** Selene stepped up next to him.**_

_** " I don't think that's gonna work anymore… I really, really wish it would, but I don't think it will…" She said to him, eyes still fearfully trained on the Cybermen. She knew they got out of this in the show, but with her here, little things changed, and this could be one of them.**_

_** " You are inferior, man will be reborn as Cyberman, but you will perish under maximum deletion." It stretched its hand out towards them. " Delete. Delete. Delete. Delete."**_

The Doctor's hand shot out and a large jet of golden energy shot out from the recharging power cell in his hand. The energy hit the first Cyberman and then created arks, hitting all the ones that surrounded them. The force of the energy made them bend backwards, suddenly disintegrating. Everyone stared in shock, arms slowly lowering.

" What the hell was that?" Rickey asked as he stared around.

" Or how about instead, _run!_" The Doctor shouted as more Cybermen began to approach. He took off in a sprint, the others close to follow. A car horn honked and Mrs. Moore came driving up in the blue van.

" Everybody, in!" She called out the window to the panicking group. As everyone moved to jump inside, Pete went to go back into the house. The Doctor ran over and grabbed his arm, halting his movement.

" I've got to go back, my wife's in there!" Pete begged.

" Anyone inside that house is _dead_," The Doctor said rather bluntly. " If you want to help, then don't let her die for nothing. You've got to come with us right now!" The Doctor pushed Pete towards the van and then turned to Rose, who stared into the house through the shattered windows. " Rose, she's not your mother."

" I know," She told him.

" Come on."

The two ran to the van and jumped in, slamming the door shut.

" Finished chatting? I've never seen a slower get away in my _life!_" Moore called to them, speeding off.

Everyone besides Rickey, Moore and Jake were all cramped in the back, attempting to catch their breath. Selene swept a strand of hair from her face, leaning back against the wall of the van where she sat next to the Doctor. Moments passed in silence as they escaped the Cybermen.

" What was that thing?" Rickey asked, turning to face them all from the front, voice still grim. He was pointing at the power cell in the Doctor's hand.

" Little bit of technology from my home," The Doctor informed, staring at it.

" It stopped glowing, has it run out?" Mickey asked with concern.

" It's on a revitalizing loop. It'll charge back up in four hours." The Doctor put the power cell back in his pocket and sighed a bit.

" Right, so we haven't got a weapon anymore," Rickey said, eyes still on the Doctor.

" Yeah, we've got weapons. Might not work on those metal things, but they're good enough for men like _him_," Jake spat, looking at Pete, who was staring at his shaking hands.

" Oh, you know, just laid a trap that's wiped out the government and left Lumic in charge!" Pete's head snapped up and he glared at the younger man.

" If I was part of all that, you think I'd leave my wife inside?" Pete asked, sounding completely insulted.

" Maybe your plan went wrong!" Suggested Rickey. " Still gives us the right to execute you though."

" Talk about executions, you'll make _me_ your enemy! Take some really good advice, you don't want to do that," Warned the Doctor, his tone threatening. Selene nodded a bit, rubbing her head, which was beginning to hurt from all the back and forth banter.

" All the same, we have evidence that says Pete Tyler's been working for Lumic since twenty point five," Rickey finally shot back. The comment was followed by silence, in which Rose looked over at Pete.

" Is that true?" She asked, voice quiet and worried.

" Tell 'em, Mrs. M."

" We've got a government mole who feeds us information, Lumic's private files, his South American operations, the lot. Secret broadcasts twice a week," Moore told them. Pete sighed.

" Secret broadcasts from Gemini?" He asked. Rickey glared at the older man, jabbing a finger at him.

" And how do _you_ know that?" He asked.

" _I'm_ Gemini, that's me!"

" Yeah, you _would_ say that!"  
" Encrypted wavelength six-five-seven using binary nine. That's the only reason I was working for Lumic- to get information. I thought that I was broadcasting to the security services. What do I get? Scooby-Doo and his gang. They even got the van!" Pete exclaimed in exasperation. Selene rolled her eyes as the Doctor looked around the van a bit, nodding.

" In defense of the Mystery Machine, Scooby-Doo was a great show," Selene said with a shrug, crossing her legs. Mickey shushed her as he tried to clear things up a bit.

" No, no, no, but the preachers know what they're doing. Rickey said he's London's most wanted!" Mickey said, thinking out loud.

" Yeah, that's not exactly…" Rickey trailed off.

" Not exactly what?"

" I'm London's most wanted for… parking tickets…"

The Doctor smirked, which then formed into a smile as he nudged Selene a bit, seeing her smile as well. She rolled her eyes and swept hair out of her face.

" _Great_," Muttered Pete, his head lolling backwards to hit the wall of the van.

" Yeah, but they were deliberate! I was fighting the system. Park anywhere that's me!" Rickey defended sharply, a glare sent Pete's way.

" Good policy, I do much the same!" The Doctor commented with a smile.

" Come to think of it that's really true…" Selene muttered. The Doctor chuckled and continued on.

" I'm the Doctor, by the way, if anyone's interested!"

" Selene," She said, raising a hand in greeting.

" And I'm Rose. Hello," Rose said.

" Even better, that's the name of my _dog_…" Pete said with a sigh. " Still, at least I've got the catering staff on my side."

" I knew you weren't a traitor," Rose told him.

" Why's that then?"

Rose looked over at the Doctor and Selene, who both gave her a look, telling her not to mention anything about being his daughter. Rose looked down at her lap, shutting her eyes for a moment.

" I just did," She decided on saying, giving a slightly strained smile.

" They took my wife!" Pete whispered in despair.

" She might still be alive," Rose tried to comfort, feeling something pull in her stomach. Even though this universe's Jackie wasn't her mother, it still seemed as if she was…

" That's even worse… Cause that's what Lumic does. He takes the living and he turns them into those machines."

" Cybermen," The Doctor commented grimly. " They're called Cybermen." Selene took notice of the earpieces still in Pete's ears.

" You should probably take those ear-pods off now, Pete," Selene suggested, holding out her hand. " If Lumic made those, he could easily be spying on us." Pete removed them and placed them in her hand. She handed them over to the Doctor, who used the Sonic to short them out.

" He's overreached himself, he's _still just a business man_. He's assassinated the president. All we need to do is get to the city, and inform the authorities. Because I promise you, this ends tonight!" The Doctor said firmly, a look of determination written on his face.

Everyone was quiet at that statement while the van bounced along. No one really had anything to say in response; they all wanted it to be true. Selene caught Jake glancing at the gun that still sat in his hand, which they all knew wouldn't work against the Cybermen, something that he even pointed out to them. She sighed and leaned forward.

" I know how tempting it'll be to try and shoot whatever gun or weapon you have left at these… things, but you're assumptions earlier about them not working are completely right. You shoot at them, then you're only going to give them an actual reason for them to try and kill you. Whatever you do, don't shoot, I'm begging that you listen to me," Selene said, eyeing all the Preachers. Jake set the gun down, looking off with a very slight nod. Rickey smirked as he looked at her.

" You're smart. Smart and pretty, I like it," Rickey commented, the smirk still on his face. Selene's eyebrows shot up at his comment and she blinked a few times. Rose's mouth dropped open a bit in shock and the Doctor turned a heated glare on the Mickey-look-a-like. That was rather uncalled for! Mickey dropped his head into his hands.

" I think I'm gonna be sick… my doppelganger is flirting with _Selene…_ she's like a little sister to me!" Mickey groaned. Rickey shot him a look.

" Doesn't mean she's like a sister to _me_, _I_ barely know her," He said. Selene shrunk back against the wall of the van, ducking her head as she tried to pretend she currently didn't exist. Mickey was right; they were like siblings, and the fact _Rickey_ was _flirting_ with her didn't make her feel all that comfortable. She stayed silent the rest of the van ride.

OOOO

Lumic sat in his automatic wheelchair, staring triumphantly at the Cybermen before him. They glistened slightly in the light, their blank eyes staring out into nothing with an emotionless look on their faces, which would never leave.

" My everlasting children! Tell me, how does it feel?" Lumic asked.

" _We feel nothing,_" A Cyberman replied, voice as cold as its metal exterior.

" But in your mind, what do you think?"

" _We think the same. We are uniform._"

" But you think… of _what_?" Lumic demanded to know, acknowledging that they did in fact think _something_.

" _We think of the humans. We think of their difference and their pain. They suffer in the skin. They must be upgraded,_" The Cyberman replied, causing a twinge of slight excitement in Lumic's head.

" Excellent! Then let's begin. Computer, identify: John Lumic."

"_ Voice print acknowledged,_" Replied the computer.

" Activate ear-pod primary sequence," He demanded, face blank.

" _Please state area of activation._"

" The City of London. I've just declared independence. Begin transmission!" There was a pause as the computer started said transmission. A smirk arose to Lumic's face. " You will come to me, my dear children. The Immortal Ones!" A grin spread across his face as the computer switched to a news broadcast.

" _All of London has been sealed off! There are reports of an army, an army of metal men!_" Said a panicked reporter. "_ All citizens should remove their ear-pods! I repeat, remove their ear-pods! London's been placed under martial law. If your hearing this, stay in your homes! I repeat, stay in your homes!_"

OOOO

The Preachers van came to a screeching halt as they spotted a mass of people all headed in the same direction, all stepping out into the street regardless of the cold. Their eyes were blank and trained ahead of themselves, a destination in mind that no one spoke.

" Oh this is not good!" The Doctor said in a panic, immediately launching himself to the side door and yanking it open. Everyone jumped out and stared at the citizens.

" What the _hell?_" Jake asked.

" What's going on?" Rose questioned with worry.

" It's the ear-pods, Lumic's taken control," The Doctor replied as they began to walk in the same direction of all the other people. The cold bit at their cheeks and their breath clung in the air in little white clouds. Selene briskly rubbed her arms for a moment while Rose asked,

" Can't we just, I don't know, take them off?" Selene shook her head quickly as the Doctor yanked Rose's hand away from where she was reaching to pull a set off a younger man.

" Don't. 'Cause a brainstorm," The Doctor explained. When Rose shot him a look Selene leaned over and whispered,

" In simpler words, it'll kill them."

" Human race!" The Doctor exclaimed, and Selene sensed a small rant about to form. " For such an intelligent lot, you aren't half susceptible. Give anyone the chance to take control, and you submit!" The Doctor began weaving through people, staring at their faces with his brows scrunched. " Sometimes I think you like it! Easy life…" He trailed off and Selene rolled her eyes resisting the urge to make an Avengers reference about Loki. She bit her tongue hard to make sure she didn't say it.

" Eh! Come and see!" Jake whispered from where he and Rickey were crouched by the corner of a wall. In a flash the Doctor and Moore rushed over, leaving Selene, Rose, Pete and Mickey to follow. They all peered around the corner curiously as to what Jake wanted them to see.

People were exiting their homes, walking like zombies into the street where they then walked along side a squad of Cybermen, who seemed to be leading them elsewhere.

" Where do you think they're going?" Selene asked just before Rose could.

" I don't know… Lumic must have a base of operation.

" Battersea," Pete confirmed. " That's where he was building his prototypes."

" Why's he doing it?" Rose asked curiously, head turning to look back at the Cybermen. Pete paused before giving the answer.

" He's dying. This all started out as a way of prolonging life, keeping the brain alive at _any_ cost."

" Thing is, I've seen Cybermen before, haven't I?" Rose asked the Doctor, looking over at the Time Lord. " That head, those handle shapes in Van Statten's museum. The Doctor gave a slight nod, brown eyes peering ahead of them.

" Oh, there are Cybermen in our universe. They started on an ordinary world, just like this, then _swarmed_ across the galaxy. This lot are a parallel version, and they're starting from scratch, right here on Earth," The Doctor explained, voice distant like it often was when he explained things.

" What the hell are you two on about?" Pete asked, staring at the two like they were crazy.

" Never mind that! Come on, we need to get out of the city," Rickey insisted, facing the group. " Okay, split up. Mrs. Moore, you look after that lot. Jake, distract them, go right, I'll go left. We'll meet back at Bridge Street. Move." With that, Rickey and Jake took off. Mickey spun to look at the group.

" I'm going with him," He announced, quickly hugging Selene and giving a brief kiss to Rose before running off after Rickey.

" Come on, let's go," Moore insisted as a troop of Cybermen got closer. They all took off down the street, sending Mickey one last glance before their sprint became life or death. Selene was glad she was still wearing her Converse, seeing as they were fairly broken in and easy to run in. She didn't expect the Doctor to skid to a stop so suddenly, so she rammed into his back, making a sound somewhere close to,

" Oof!"

The Doctor grabbed her arm as she stumbled and she saw the reason for the sudden cease of motion; another group of Cybermen marching in front of them. The group glanced around and then spotted an alley.

" There!" The Doctor shouted before they all bolted down the alleyway, Cybermen still following.

Rickey ran as fast as he could, feet pounding against the pavement. He then noticed a familiar face following him; Mickey. They both slowed to a stop, breathing shallow.

" Which way? I don't know where we are," Mickey asked.

" Did they see us?" Rickey asked.

" Do they know where we are?"

" I bet they saw us. I bet they can see in the dark."

" I bet they've got satellites," Mickey thought out loud, all of their thoughts overlapping.

" I bet they saw us in the dark," Rickey concluded.

" They know where we are," Both said at the same time, both heads snapping to look at each other.

" I don't get it, what is it with you?" Rickey asked, face still scrunched up in an angry look, like always. " You are _exactly _like me."

" I don't know. I reckon your braver," Mickey told him.

" Oh, yeah, ten times," Rickey agreed quickly, nodding. " Still, your friends aren't bad. I'll give you that. Especially Selene." Mickey groaned and ran a hand down his face at the mention of Selene.

" Oh, that's the Doctor and Rose. Selene now too. I just tag along behind."

" Well, then, you're not that bad."

Mickey looked at Rickey with surprised.

" You really think?" He asked.

" Yeah, I suppose," Rickey replied. There was a pause as they looked around for another minute. " But what about Selene? She seems different than the rest of you, not sure why."

" She's just a very… interesting person. She actually fell into _my_ dimension from another one, which should be completely impossible. Then again, I guess that could be her nickname, huh? Impossible Selene," Mickey muttered the last bit with a smirk. Rickey smirked as well. There was the familiar sound of metallic pounding and they turned to see a large group of Cybermen marching towards them.

" Cybermen," Mickey said.

" Split up!" Both said in unison before taking off in opposite directions.

The Doctor yanked Selene behind a set of garbage bins that conveniently formed a wall to hide them all from the sight of the Cybermen. Rose, Pete, and Mrs. Moore followed and they all crouched down close to the damp pavement as the robotic men closed in. The pounding of their metal feet got closer and louder, and they all tried to stay as quiet as they could. Selene managed to quiet her quickened breath, which was beginning to slow down. She was never one for running; she always found it easier to walk or ride a bike somewhere. But she knew she'd be getting used to all the running since she was traveling with the Doctor now. An awful lot of running to do…

They were all crouched close together, shoulder-to-shoulder, knee-to-knee. The Cybermen stopped marching just in front of the garbage bins. Rose tightly gripped Pete's hand in fear. Had they found them? The Doctor slowly pulled out the Sonic and held it up, pushing the button and a frequency just a bit higher than it normally made pulsated into the air. The Cybermen turned and marched on. As they passed, they all stood slowly, watching them disappear around a corner. The Doctor nodded down the street and whispered,

" Go."

Rickey came bolting down an alley, heart racing as he thought he'd evaded the troop of Cybermen. He fell to the ground as he encountered the group of metal men advancing on him from a different direction. He scrambled to his feet without any means of grace and took off running again, not caring where he turned. He kept throwing glances over his shoulder as the Cybermen continued to near. He thought he might be in the clear…

But there was a chain-link fence blocking his escape. He gripped the cold metal and saw Mickey come running up on the other side.

" Come on! Come on!" Mickey urged as Rickey began to climb the fence. " Come on!" As Rickey just neared the top, inches away from being able to hoist himself over, a Cyberman swiftly snatched his ankle and a visible electric shock riddled his body. A scream of agony left him as Mickey shouted,

" _NO!_"

Rickey fell from the fence and hit the ground with a solid _thud_. Mickey stared in shocked horror at Rickey's body, which lay unmoving on the ground. His gaze swept up to the Cybermen, which now just stood there, bland eyes staring through the fence at him. They didn't move. They didn't speak. They just stood. With an angry expression mimicking one of Rickey's crossing his face, Mickey backed away from the sight and clattered into a trash bin before running away down an alley.

The sound of feet pounding against the pavement echoed around the eerily empty streets and bounced off the walls of buildings. The Doctor, Rose, Pete, Selene and Mrs. Moore had been running without stopping for a good few solid minutes, rounding sharp corners and down long streets.

" Alright! Alright, I think we can stop," The Doctor told them as he slowed to a stop, taking in deep breaths. Selene let out a soft groan of exhaustion and leaned against a nearby wall, puffing out a breath before taking in a few more. She blinked a few times and shook her head.

" _This_ is just like gym class in high school… only more dangerous," She informed everyone with little breath, swiping more hair from her face. Rose smirked slightly at the comment, nodding in agreement. They all stayed quiet as they caught their breath, none of them really having anything to say. Then, a familiar blond man came running up.

" I ran past the river! You should have seen it! The whole _city's_ on the march. _Hundreds_ of Cybermen all down the Thames!" Jake told them, voice almost tinged with what sounded like slight excitement, but clearly filled with worry. Selene's eye caught a lone figure running under a bridge and she felt a tug in her stomach. That was Mickey… only Mickey… she knew what had happened. She cast her blue eyes to the dark pavement sadly. " Here he is!" Jake grinned.

Mickey stopped a few feet away and his face caught the light.

" Which one are you?" Jake asked cautiously. Tears were stinging at Mickey's eyes and his throat felt thick.

" I'm sorry, the Cybermen… he couldn't…" Mickey attempted to say, his voice cracking.

" Are you Rickey?" Silence. " _Are you Rickey?_"

" Mickey, that's you isn't it?" Rose asked hopefully.

" Yeah," He replied at the same time Selene nodded slowly. Rose rushed forward and gripped Mickey in a tight hug, which he returned before he looked at Mrs. Moore and Jake who were staring at him in shock. " He tried. He was runnin'. There was too many of them!"

Jake quickly turned away, tears brimming in his eyes and he tried to fight them back.

" Shut it," Jake told Mickey sharply.

" There was nothin' I could do…"

" I said just shut it! Don't even talk about him! You're nothin', you are! Nothin'…" Jake muttered, looking off. Mickey looked at the ground as he felt someone pull him in for a hug.

" Give me a hug…" Selene whispered. Selene pressed her face in his shoulder and rubbed his back as he shakily shut his eyes and hugged back.

" We can mourn him when London is safe. For now, we move on," The Doctor told everyone, voice quiet but authoritative. " We have to get to Lumic's center of operation if we're going to shut him down. Let's head back to the van so we can get there as soon as possible."

OOOO

The van ride had been sickly quiet. No one wanted to speak and no one had one word to say. Selene held Mickey's hand tightly as he stared blankly at the floor. The Doctor had been rubbing his eyes and the bridge of his nose and ran his hands through his hair like he usually did when the stress came a bit too much to bear. When the van stopped everyone quickly clambered out, the atmosphere a bit to sad and thick to stand anymore.

The group climbed up a small embankment that was just across the river from the Battersea Power Station. A large zeppelin hovered over it and the lights blazed brightly inside. There was a moment as everyone registered what was before them.

" The whole of London's been sealed off and the entire population's been taken inside that place," The Doctor said, nodding to the large building. " To be 'converted'."

" We've got to get in there and shut it down," Rose stated the idea on everyone's mind. Selene nodded.

" It'll be complicated but it has to be done," She agreed.

" And _how_ do we do that?" Mickey asked, shooting the three a look. The Doctor sucked in a breath and said,

" Oh, I'll think of something."

" And it better be clever," Selene teased, lightly elbowing the Doctor's side. That elicited a smirk from him.

" You're just making this up as you go along!" Mickey finally concluded.

" Yep!" The Doctor confirmed, eyes once again trained on the Power Plant. " But I do it _brilliantly_." Rose smirked and Mickey eventually gave a nod.

" So true," Selene said, voicing the other two's thoughts. " We'd probably all be dead if he didn't come up with split second plans." There was a pause where no one spoke and Selene looked around. " Well, shouldn't we get a floor plan or something to find out how to get in?" She suggested slowly. Everyone looked at her. " What? I'm just saying, it would be a whole hell lot easier if we _knew_ where to go in."

" I was just about to suggest that…" Muttered the Doctor. Selene smirked.

" I guess I just jumped to your conclusion then," She joked, earning a high-five from Rose. She gestured back to the van. _Allons-y!_ She thought mentally as the Doctor nodded and walked back to the vehicle, Moore following closely.

Moore pulled out a Cybus Industries laptop and searched through some files before pulling one up. It loaded as they all waited in the chilly air, noses turning pink. They were sitting on a weathered picnic table, facing the Power Plant. The Doctor pulled on his glasses as he peered at the screen.

" That's a schematic of the old factory," Moore explained once a 3D model of the building popped up. " Look, cooling tunnels underneath the plant, big enough to walk through."

" We go under and then up to the control center," The Doctor said, pointing to the diagram.

" Mm."

" There's another way in. Through the front door. If they've taken Jackie for upgrading, that's how she'll get in," Pete said, looking at everyone.

" You can't just go strollin' up!" Jake spat, shooting the older man a look.

" Or we could…" Moore said. Everyone gave her a confused look as she pulled out decoy ear-pods. The Doctor picked one up and examined it. " With these. Fake ear-pods. Dead. No signal. But put them on and the Cybermen would mistake you for one of the crowd!"

" Then that's my job," Pete insisted. The Doctor sighed.

" You'd have to show _no emotion, none at all_," The Doctor warned.

" One little blip of anything would give you away and you'd be killed immediately," Selene added on, worry crossing her face from where she sat cross-legged on the tabletop.

" How many of those you've got?" Rose asked.

" Just two sets," Moore told her.

" Okay. If that's the best way of finding Jackie…" She stood. " Then I'm comin' with ya."

" Why does she matter to you?" Pete asked in confusion, brows scrunching.

" We haven't got time. Doctor, I'm going with him, and that is that," Rose stated firmly.

" No stopping you is there?" The Doctor asked.

" Nope."

The Doctor tossed her the ear-pod he held.

" Tell you what, we can take the ear-pods at the same time, give people their minds back, so they don't walk into that place like _sheep_," The Doctor said, a small plan beginning to form. " Jakey Boy!" The Doctor took off and ran back up the embankment, Jake following. " Lumic's transmitting the control signal, it must be from over there." The Doctor pulled out the Sonic and pointed it across the river and clicked it on. He raised it upwards till it aligned with the zeppelin and it beeped a few times. " There it is! See? Great big transmitter. Good thing Lumic likes showing off. Reckon you can take it out?"

" Consider it done," Jake told him, grinning.

" Mrs. Moore! Selene!" The Doctor called out as he ran back down to them. " Would you care to accompany me into the cooling tunnels?"

" How could I refuse an offer of cooling tunnels?" Moore replied with a joking tone. The Doctor turned his gaze onto Selene. She grinned.

" I would _love_ to accompany you, Dear Sir," She joked, bowing to the Doctor. He grinned at her. She really was something! She honestly could make anyone laugh or smile, it had to be a talent of hers. Selene straightened up and sent him a playful wink before tossing strands of tangled hair from her eyes. The Doctor faced the river again, pulling off his glasses.

" We attack on three sides; above, between, below. We get to the control center, we stop the conversion machines," The Doctor planned out rapidly.

" What about me?" Mickey suddenly asked. Everyone turned to face him.

" Mickey!" The Doctor said, almost sounding surprised. " You can… um…"

" What? Stay out of trouble? Be the Tin Dog? No, those days are over. I'm going with Jake," Mickey said, a tone of finality in his voice. The Doctor just stared at him.

" I don't need you, idiot!" Jake spat angrily. Mickey marched over to him.

" I'm not an idiot! Got that!?" Everyone stared at the harsh yell Mickey gave. " I'm offering to help," He said, voice softer. Jake merely turned and walked off, muttering,

" Whatever."

As Mickey began to follow, he turned at a voice.

" Mickey!" The Doctor had called. " Good luck."

" Yeah, you too," Mickey agreed. " Rose, I'll see you later."

" Yeah, you better," Rose told him, looking serious.

" And you too, Selene," Mickey added, nodding to her. Selene nodded.

" We can complain about running once you get back," She said with a tiny smirk.

" If we survive this, I'll see you back at the TARDIS," The Doctor told him. Mickey nodded and the Doctor smiled a bit.

" That's a promise," Mickey told them all, smiling before turning and following Jake. He glanced back once more to see the Doctor tightly hugging Rose, who returned the embrace.

" Good luck!" He told the blond with a smile. Rose quickly hugged Selene before she and Pete departed. Mickey saw the Doctor put a hand on Selene's back as they gave each other a one armed hug as they began to walk away. Mickey's face fell and he walked away.

Moore was the first of the three to descend into the icy cooling tunnels. As she climbed down the ladder she hissed a bit.

" It's freezing in here!" She announced.

" It's like winter in a box," Selene agreed as she climbed down next, hands throbbing from the cold metal of the ladder. The Doctor soon followed and asked,

" Any sign of a light switch?" The tunnels were pitch black, not a speck of light besides the moonlight filtering in from the hatch above them.

" Can't see a thing," Moore muttered, looking around, pulling her backpack off. " But I've got these! A device for every occasion!" She removed two headbands that had lights on them.

" Oh!" The Doctor muttered, sounding a bit excited as he was handed one.

" Put it on." The Doctor pulled it on, messing his hair up further. In Selene's opinion, it looked perfect even when it was messy. Made him look even hotter…

_Stop it, Selene!_ She mentally shouted at herself, tearing her eyes away from him as she rubbed her arms briskly.

" Haven't got a hotdog in there, have you? I'm starving," The Doctor asked, peering into the bag. Moore shot him an amused look as she pulled her headlamp on.

" Of all things to wish for! That's mechanically recovered meat," She told him.

" I know," He said in response, smiling. " It's the Cyberman of food, but it's tasty. Don't you think so, Selene?"

" Of course it is! Though anytime someone mentions what they think could be in it, I suddenly loose my appetite," She commented as Moore removed something else from her bag.

" A proper torch as well," She said, handing it to Selene.

" Shall we see if this can illuminate our situation?" Selene asked before flicking it on and shinning it around. The light caught on the face of a frozen Cyberman. A _line_ of frozen Cybermen. Her heart just about stopped.

" Already, converted, just put on ice," The Doctor muttered, eyeing the metal people. He took a step around Selene. " Come on!" As they took a few more steps the Doctor stopped before a Cyberman and Selene shone the flashlight on its face. The Doctor tapped his knuckle against its face. Nothing. " Let's go slowly…"

The three continued slowly down the tight passage, keeping their lights on the Cybermen.

" Keep an eye out for trip systems," He mentioned. They kept moving and the metal on the walls brushed Selene's bare arm, stinging sharply. A sudden thought hit Selene.

" You don't think that our body heat could… you know… thaw them out and turn them on, do you?" She asked as she avoided stepping on a Cyberman's foot. The Doctor pulled a thinking face, nose scrunched up, lips pursed.

" No, I don't think so. These should all be controlled electronically, they should only wake up if they're asked to by who ever put them into sleep mode…" He trailed off. " But just in case I'm wrong, let's keep a wary eye, shall we?"

" Oh, yes, we shall," Selene muttered, keeping the light trained on each Cyberman she passed.

OOoOO

Outside the Battersea Power Plant, Cybermen led groups of hypnotized citizens towards conversion rooms. Robotic voices announced which chambers were open and ready to be used. Rose and Pete ran to hide behind a broken wooden fence, watching as more people marched to their deaths.

" Just put them on, don't show any emotion," Pete said, holding out a pair of the fake ear-pods. Rose took them from his palm. " No signs, nothing, okay?"

" Don't worry, we can do it," Rose assured him as they put the ear-pods in place. Pete glanced at the young blond, who seemed determined.

" We could _die_ in here, why are you doing this?" Pete asked, curiosity building.

" Let's just say I'm doing it for my Mum and Dad," Rose responded, staring ahead, not sending a glance towards Pete. The lights on their fake ear-pods began to flash and Rose let out a tiny sigh. " Right, lets go."

Standing up again, the two made their way out of hiding and into a line of people. They grasped each other's hands tightly before letting go and joining the line, faces blank, danger imminent as they entered the Power Plant.

OOoOO

The tunnels seemed to stretch on forever. The lights still shone eerily on the Cybermen's faces, their eyes blankly staring away into space.

" How'd you get into this then? Rattling along with the Preachers?" The Doctor asked Moore, striking up a conversation. Moore chuckled slightly.

" Oh, I used to be ordinary. Worked at Cybus industries, nine to five. Till one day I find something I'm not supposed to," She informed, causing the two time travelers to look back at her. " A file on the mainframe. All I did was read it. Then suddenly, I've got men with guns knocking in the middle of the night. Life on the run… then I found the Preachers. They needed a Techie, so I… I just sat down and taught myself everything!"

" How about Mr. Moore? How does he feel about all this?" Selene decided to ask, beating the Doctor to it. Moore looked at her feet a moment.

" Well, he's not called Moore. I got that from a book, 'Mrs. Moore'. It's safer not to use real names. But he thinks I'm dead," She told them and Selene felt a violent tug at her heartstrings as her mind was launched back to her family. Did they think that _she_ was dead? Missing?

_Snap out of it, that isn't important right now…_ she thought to herself, continuing to listen to Moore.

" Him and the kids… How about you?" She suddenly asked. " Got any family or…?" She was looking at Selene.

" They're um… very far away. But I've got the Doctor and Rose and Mickey, they're all I need," She replied with a smile, nudging the Doctor to start speaking before she had to continue.

" Oh, who needs family?" The Doctor asked. " I've got the whole world on my shoulders." Moore gave him a saddened look. " Go on then. What's your real name?"

" Angela Price," Moore said after a pause. " _Don't tell a soul._"

" Wouldn't dream of it," Selene told her with a kind smile.

" Not a word," The Doctor agreed, smiling as well. As they passed a Cyberman, leaving it behind, it suddenly turned on, slowly turning to face the backs of the trio.

A Cyberman came marching up to a control panel up above in a control room and noted the screen.

"_ Movement in Deepcold Six,_" It informed a second Cyberman, who marched over as well. It then said,

" _Awaken the army._"

The trio walked in silence a bit more, not registering the movement that had occurred behind them. But Moore noticed something off… something _horribly_ off. A Cyberman moving its arm.

" Doctor! Did that one just move?" She asked in fear, pointing to it.

" It's just the torch light… keep going, come on," He encouraged. Selene shot a look at the back of his head and then looked at Moore, the look in her eyes saying she'd seen it move too. But as the approached the next Cyberman, its head turned to look at them. " They're waking up! Run!"

" With pleasure!" Selene responded as they broke out into a sprint, hoping their feet would carry them fast enough to survive. Each Cyberman they passed fell into line behind them, beginning to march behind them. At the end of the passage they found a ladder, which stretched upwards towards a door in the ceiling.

" Get up! Quick!" Moore pleaded as Doctor bounded up, trying to open the small door. The Doctor pulled out his Sonic and began to work on the door. " Open it! Open it!" The door finally unlocked and he shoved it open, climbing through. " Get up! Quick, quick!" He pulled Selene up and then helped out Moore as a Cyberman began to climb up the ladder. Selene quickly shut the door and the Doctor pointed the Sonic at it, locking it effectively.

The three rested, panting in attempt to catch their breath. The Doctor grinned at the two women.

" Oh, good team Mrs. Moore, Selene!"

" But can we all agree to _never_ do that again?" Selene asked, making it a rhetorical question. The Doctor and Moore laughed and she joined in, running a hand through her hair to keep it out of her eyes.

" We should keep moving; we can't be sure that there aren't more Cybermen on their way," The Doctor said. " Let's go."

OOOO

Rose and Pete had made it inside the power plant, managing to keep their faces blank, eyes straight forward, following the line of people.

" _Units upgraded now six thousand five hundred. Repeat; six thousand five hundred and rising,_" Stated a Cyberman's voice over the intercom. Rose could feel her stomach twist at the number. Six thousand five hundred people had been turned into Cybermen… something that couldn't be undone once it had happened. Six thousand five hundred people lost. It made her sick.

As they continued to walk down a narrow passage, a Cyberman stepped forward and held up an arm in front of Rose, causing her to stop.

" _You will wait,_" It stated. It turned around and marched forward and Rose and Pete let their composures slip for a moment.

" You okay?" Pete asked quietly.

" No," She replied, voice beginning to shake, her breathing picking up. A line of people marched past them, cutting across in front.

" _Chamber six now open for human upgrading,_" Came the voice over the intercom again. " _All reject stock will be incinerated._"

Rose and Pete watched as people turned and mindlessly walked into secluded chambers, and when the doors shut behind them and the lights began to flash, the sound of mechanical whirring loudly echoed out. Then Cybermen would step out, turn in perfect sync and march away. They were in the midst of all the processing chambers.

" Any signs of Jackie?" Pete asked hopefully as Rose stared around in horror. A Cyberman spun around to face them. As said Cyberman marched over, both Rose and Pete snapped their expressions back to being blank, staring directly ahead.

" _You are Peter Tyler. Confirm: you are Peter Tyler,_" The Cyberman demanded as it marched closer. Pete's eyes flicked around a bit before finally answering with;

" Confirmed."

" _I recognize you. I went first. My name was Jacquelyn Tyler._"

Both Rose and Pete's blood ran ice cold.

" No!" Rose exclaimed.

" What!?" Pete cried in distressed horror. Both suddenly realized their major faux pas. They'd let their emotions leak through in that moment of shock. Now they'd been discovered, and _nothing_ good was going to come from it.

" _They are unprogrammed. Restrain,_" The former Jacquelyn Tyler turned Cyberman stated.

" You're lying! You're not her!" Pete shouted as a Cyberman marched up to grab him by the arms. " You're not my Jackie!" Pete's face was close to the cold metal one of the Cyberman who'd once been his wife.

" _No, I am Cyberform. Once I was Jacquelyn Tyler._" Rose hadn't been able to control the emotion coursing through her. She didn't care if this was her _real_ mother, but that universe's Jackie had definitely been some form of her mother, and she couldn't believe her eyes. She shook her head, messy blond hair beginning to fall into her face. She was shaking and her breath was stuttered.

" But you can't be! Not her!" Rose almost begged as two cold hands grasped her arms.

" _Her brain is inside this body,_" The Jackie-Cyberman said.

" Jacks, I came to save you!" Pete yelled, straining against his captor.

" _This man worked with Cybus Industries to create our species. He will be rewarded by force. Take them to Cyber Control._"

Rose's back was hunched protectively as she stared around at the Cybermen. Her heart was racing. Pete felt like he'd been stabbed. His wife was gone. He'd never see her again. He couldn't believe he'd let this happen… if he'd just been able to have gone back inside to get her, maybe this wouldn't have happened… They were forced to walk forward by their Cyberman guards and Rose finally managed to speak.

" They killed her… They just took her and killed her!"

" Maybe there's a chance. I don't know… Maybe we can reverse it!" Pete replied hopefully. Rose's heart dropped even more.

" There's nothing we can do…" Rose muttered.

" But if… if she remembers…" He looked back to see dozens of exactly the same looking Cybermen. " Where is she? Which one was it, which one is her?"

" They all look the same- oh!" Rose said as she stumbled when the Cyberman gripping her arms forced her forward, her numb feet taking shaky steps.

OOOO

Jake and Mickey had been pretty successful with their mission thus far. They made it past the guards and into the zeppelin, and they pushed the doors to the control room open, ready to find what they had to. Mickey dropped and unconscious guard, face dead serious, becoming almost identical to the one that Rickey had always worn.

" Nice one. Nobody's home," Jake commented as the two strode into the room confidently. " Find the transmitter controls!" They made their way towards a wall of buttons and monitors, glancing over them. They all looked the same.

" What do they look like?" Mickey questioned. Jake shook his head and shot him a look.

" Well, _I don't know!_ They might have 'Transmitter Controls' written in big red letters, just look!" Jake ordered as they both ran around the wall towards where a ships steering wheel sat, over looking a window. Turning, Mickey saw something that stopped his heart.

A Cyberman.

" Ah!" He yelled out as Jake caught sight of it, drawing a gun, Selene's early comments not registering.

" Cyberman!"

But nothing happened. Nothing at all. It just stood there. It stood in a little space that was like a closet with no door. Jake stepped forward cautiously, gun trained on the metal man the entire time. He reached in and turned on a light, which hummed to life. Still nothing. Mickey walked forward and stepped up beside it, staring at its empty eyes.

" It's dead," He told Jake. " I don't think it was ever alive." He knocked against the head. Nothing but metal clanking. " It's empty, no brain. It's just a robot suit, it's just for display. Jake stared at it another moment before giving a nod.

" Okay. Transmitter." They moved to keep their search moving.

OOOO

Under the Doctor's insistence, the trio had moved on and kept walking. Selene was once more glad she'd gotten to keep her Converse, seeing as they were all treading on their feet lightly, attempting not to make a sound. She stood behind the Doctor, peering over his shoulder to see where they were headed, heart pounding in not only fear, but excitement as well. That was the funny thing; when she was around him, she knew danger was lurking behind every thing, whether it be a door, a corner, anything, but she always felt safe and excited and… well… for the first time in a while, she usually felt pretty happy.

The Doctor stopped at a corner and looked back at the two women, nodding that it was okay and to keep walking around it. He could tell Selene was enjoying the adventure, no matter the level of danger. She seemed to even just blatantly over look it. He had to admit, that could be a concern at times, but it also meant that she was focused on what had to be done, instead of dwelling on the fact that they could be killed when walking around the next corner.

Loud clanging echoed out and a Cyberman blocked their path.

" _You are not upgraded,_" It stated.

" Yeah? Well, upgrade _this_!" Moore said, hurling a piece of metal wound with copper wiring. It attached to the Cyberman's chest and suddenly sparked and exploded, electricity arcing across its body, causing the Cyberman a sound that could be the equivalent of a scream before it fell to its knees, then the floor.

Selene and the Doctor stared. The Doctor grinned and Selene just blinked, seeming bright spots everywhere.

" What the hell was that thing!?" The Doctor asked as they stepped towards the immobile Cyberman.

" Electromagnetic bomb. Takes out computers, I figured it might take out a Cybersuit," Moore said in a proud manner, earning a smile from the duo.

" Well, you figured right! Now, let's take a look," The Doctor said as they crouched down. He pulled out the Sonic. " Know your enemy… Logo on the front… Lumic's turned them into a brand." He turned on the Sonic and moved it around the circular piece on the chest of the Cyberman. He opened it and stared at the metal piece in his hand. " Heart of steel. But look," He said, pulling out something white, wet and slimy from inside the Cyberman's chest. He held it up for them all to see.

" Is that _flesh?_" Moore asked.

" Hm," The Doctor hummed. " Central nervous system. Artificially grown then threaded through the suit so it responds like a living thing."

" It is living," Selene said quietly, staring at the metal suit sadly.

" Oh, but look!" The Doctor stroked a piece of circuiting. " Emotional inhibitor. Stops them feeling anything.

" But why?" Moore questioned.

" It's still got a human brain. Imagine its reaction if it could see itself. _Realize_ itself inside this thing…. They'd go insane…" The last part the Doctor said thoughtfully, staring down at it. Selene shook her head, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

" So they cut out the one thing that makes them human," Moore concluded.

" Because they have to."

" _Why… am… I… cold?_" The Cyberman suddenly asked.

" Oh, God…" Selene muttered, shifting on her feet. She suddenly remembered this part clear as day. " She's remembering…"

" It's alive. It can feel!" Moore added on, shocked. She looked at the two and back at the still living Cyberman.

" We broke the inhibitor. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," The Doctor told it.

" _Why so cold?_"

" Can you remember your name?"

" _Sally. Sally Phelan,_" It replied, its voice sounding different. Moore raised her brows.

" You're a woman." She stated.

" _Where's Gareth?_" Sally asked.

" Who's Gareth?"

" _He can't see me. It's unlucky the night before._" Selene shut her eyes and shook her head.

" You're getting married… He can't see you before you get married," Selene said sadly, voice thick.

" _I'm cold. I'm so cold,_" Sally said again. Selene, who was kneeling close to the Cybersuit's head, reached out a hand and put it on the side of the helmet, eyes opening. The metal was icy under her hands… she couldn't imagine what it actually felt like to be completely encased in it.

" It's alright. You sleep now, Sally," The Doctor said softly, reaching out the Sonic and placing it inside the open hole in the chest. " Just go to sleep." He pressed a button and the Sonic pulsed, and the blue light inside the chest cavity shut off. Selene removed her hand quickly from the helmet and wiped at a stray tear; she'd always been easily moved to tears, and that moment was no exception.

" Sally Phelan didn't die for nothing," The Doctor muttered, mind making conclusions.

" That's… that's it," Selene said, remembering the idea, finally catching on again. " The Emotional Inhibitor, right?" The Doctor nodded and grabbed her shoulders, looking her in the eyes.

" If we could find the code behind it, the _cancellation code,_ then feed it throughout the system, into every Cyberman's head, they'd realize what they are!" The Doctor said excitedly as he drew conclusions.

" And what happens then?" Moore asked curiously.

" It would kill them. The Cybermen were…" Selene paused to sniff a bit, still getting over her emotional moment. " The Cybermen were designed to be an upgraded human; live forever, feel no pain, feel no emotions. The emotions rushing back would over feed the system and, well… no more Cyberman." The Doctor's brows scrunched together as he released Selene's shoulders as a thought hit him.

" Can we do that?" He mused.

" We've got to. Before they kill everyone else," Moore told him. " There's no choice, Doctor. It's got to be done." She stood as the Doctor and Selene stared at the Cyberman that had once been Sally. But the moment Moore was about to stand straight, a thought hit Selene.

" No, Mrs. Moore, don't!" She yelled out, but realized it was far too late. The Cyberman that had managed to creep up behind Moore had grasped her shoulder, sending electric currents through her body, killing her. The Doctor shot up with Selene.

" No, no! You didn't have to kill her!" The Doctor shouted in fury at the Cyberman when Moore dropped to the floor.

" _Sensors detect two binary vascular systems. You are both an unknown upgrade. You will be taken for analysis,_" The Cyberman as more marched up. They waited for the Doctor and Selene to begin to follow. The Doctor gently took Selene's hand and they began to walk, eyes cast down to the floor. They walked in silence before a shaky sigh from Selene broke the air.

" She could have lived… I… I could have told her to not stand, I could have stopped it from happening… I knew it would happen… It's my fault…" She muttered, feeling guilt seep into her mind. The Doctor quickly looked at her and saw the look on her face that she had gotten when they had discovered Reinette had died.

" Selene, it isn't your fault. We both know you couldn't have changed anything. Some points in time are-"

" Fixed. I know."

" But, I can promise you something, Selene, we'll save the rest of the people here to make sure both Mrs. Moore and Sally didn't die in vain. Alright? Not you're fault, I won't have you believing that. I won't let you carry that on your shoulders," He whispered to her, squeezing her hand. She nodded slightly, a look of determination slipping back into her eyes. Her fingers squeezed his hand back and they were forced to keep walking.

The corridors were all tight and forced them all to walk in single file, and the Doctor released Selene's hand when they did so. He unfastened the bowtie around his neck, letting it rest under the collar of his shirt and he shoved his hands into his pockets, gaining composure. Selene kept her arms crossed and tried to shake off the guilt, which was slowly beginning to eat at her mind. She shook her head and attempted to convince herself the Doctor was right. She couldn't have saved her. It could be very well that it was a fixed point. Something that absolutely had to happen.

The two were led into a large room and the Doctor looked at all the Cybermen.

" We've been captured, but don't worry, Rose and Pete are still out there, they'll rescue us," He said to all the metal men as they walked towards a row of monitors… where Rose and Pete sat. " Oh, well, never mind. You okay?" He asked to Rose.

" Yeah… but they got Jackie," Rose said sadly, and Pete squeezed his eyes shut.

" We were too late, Lumic killed her," He muttered unhappily.

" And where is he? The famous Mr. Lumic? Don't we get the chance to meet our lord and master?" The Doctor asked loudly, hands still in his pockets as he looked around.

" _He has been upgraded,_" Informed a Cyberman in a steady electronic voice. A moment of silence passed as its words echoed around the room. The Doctor stared at it.

" So he's just like you?"

" _He is superior. The Lumic Unit has been designated Cyber Controller._"

A set of large doors with the trademark C on it slid open to reveal a Cyberman behind it, sitting on a chair made of metal components, its eyes glowing bright white. The chair slid forward and the four captives stood and stared at it.

" _This is the Age of Steel, and I am its creator,_" It stated. It was wired into the chair with metal tubes, another bright light on the top of its head. Selene felt her jaw drop. There was certainly no way of escaping…

Suddenly screams echoed in the air. People screaming and shouting. The Doctor grinned.

" That's my friends at work! Good boys!" He cried happily, looking up to the ceiling. " Mr. Lumic, I think that's a vote for free will!" The Doctor winked and clicked his tongue. Selene gave Rose a hug in relief, and the blond happily returned it, shutting her eyes and letting out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding in.

" _I have factories waiting on seven continents. If the ear-pods have failed, then the Cybermen will take humanity by force,_" Lumic replied. " _London has fallen. So shall the world._" Selene pulled back and noticed something interesting about the 'Lumic Unit's' voice. It had more inflection than all the other Cybermen. She'd never noticed it before, but with it right there before her, it was plain as day. It made it all that more intimidating. " _I will bring peace to the world, everlasting peace, and unity and uniformity._"

" And imagination- how about that? The one thing that _led_ you here: imagination, and you're _killing it, dead!_" The Doctor exclaimed, crossing his arms.

" _What is your name?_"

" I'm the Doctor."

" _A redundant title. Doctors need not exist. Cybermen never sicken._"

" Good thing he's not _that_ kind of Doctor," Selene said with a tiny smirk, crossing her arms.

" Yeah, but that's it! That's _exactly the point!_" The Doctor shouted at Lumic, his voice jumping an octave or two, rushing forward to him. He sighed and scrunched up his face, looking up at the ceiling again. " Oh, Lumic, you're a clever man. I'd call you a genius, except I'm in the room… But everything you've invented, you did to fight your sickness. And that's brilliant! That is _so _human! But once you get rid of sickness and mortality, then what's there to strive for, eh? The Cybermen won't advance! You'll just stop! You'll stay like this forever; a metal Earth with metal men and metal thoughts!" The Doctor began to stride around the room, staring at Cybermen as he did so. " Lacking the _one thing_ that makes this planet _so alive! People!_ Ordinary, _stupid_, brilliant people!"

" _You are proud of your emotions?_" Lumic inquired.

" Damn straight!" Selene offered from the back with a grin. Rose smiled as well, the two feeling happy again from the Doctor's mini-speech.

" Oh, yes!" The Doctor agreed.

" _Then tell me, Doctor, have you known grief and rage and pain?_" Lumic asked him. The Doctor's face fell again.

" Yes, yes I have."

" _And they hurt?_"

" Oh, yes."

" _I can set you free. Would you not want that, a life without pain?_"

The Doctor's face fell even further, inching closer to anger.

" You might as well kill me," He responded.

" _Then I take that option,_" Lumic said. The Doctor grunted in frustration, leaning forward.

" It's not yours to take! You're a Cyber Controller! You don't control _me_ or _anything_ will blood in its heart!" The Doctor shouted angrily, brows furrowing.

" _I have an army, a species of my own._" The Doctor ran a hand over his face in annoyance. Again with this whole rant?

" You just don't get it, do you?" He asked, walking towards the other side of the room. " An army's nothing! 'Cause those ordinary people, they're the key!" He gestured to the walls and the people panicking outside of them. He looked up to a camera he knew had feed to the zeppelin, and hopefully Mickey and Jake. " The most ordinary person could change the world! Some ordinary man or woman… some _idiot_. All it takes is for him to find, say, the right numbers… say the right _codes_… say… for example… the code behind the emotional inhibitor, the code right in front of him. 'Cause even an _idiot_ knows his computers these days. Knows how to get past firewalls and passwords, knows how to find something encrypted in the Lumic Family Database under- eh, what was it Pete? Binary what?"

" Binary Nine," Pete supplied helpfully, scratching his cheek.

" An _idiot_ could find that code, the cancellation code, and he'd keep on typing. Keep on fighting." The doctor looked directly into the camera. " Anything to save his friends!"

" _Your words are irrelevant,_" Lumic stated sharply. The Doctor let out a goofy laugh as he bent at the waist, grinning.

" Talk too much, that's my problem! Lucky I got you that cheap tariff, Rose, for all our long chats," The Doctor said then looked at the camera saying, " on your phone."

" _You will be deleted._" That sounded far more menacing than any other Cyberman saying it. It was gruff and husky and evil.

" _Yes,_ 'delete', 'control', 'hash', all those lovely buttons. Then, of course, _my_ particular favorite," The Doctor held a hand up in the air and flexed his wrist to look like he pushed a button. " _Send!_ And let's not forget how you seduced all those ordinary people in the first place." He tapped a beat on a counter top. Rose's phone beeped. She pulled it out and both she and Selene looked at the numbers that were displayed on the screen: **6879760**. " By making every bit of technology compatible with everything else."

" It's for you," Rose said, tossing the phone back to the Doctor, who caught it without looking at it.

" Like this," He said as he shoved the phone into a slot. Suddenly, all the Cybermen began to screech, grabbing their heads. They were all remembering and coming to realize what they actually were. Their emotions were coursing through them at rapid speed. One Cyberman caught sight of itself in a reflective surface on one of the monitors as it made a wailing sound. The Doctor sadly looked at it.

" I'm sorry," He said to it. Most Cybermen eventually fell to their knees then the floor, movement no longer apparent. Some even exploded. Lumic was furious.

" _What have you done!?_" He demanded in fury.

" I gave them back their souls!" The Doctor snatched up the phone again. " They can see what you've done, Lumic! And it's _killing them_!" And with that the Doctor, Rose, Selene and Pete ran towards the door, leaving Lumic saying,

" _Delete. Delete. Delete._"

Everything was exploding. Everything. Pipes, monitors, Cybermen, and even flooring. The Doctor sped around corners dodging fire and debris, hoping everyone was keeping up and that no one had fallen behind. The air was becoming heated from all the fire and they just barely dodged a falling piece of grating as they reached the emergency exit. The Doctor threw open the door only to see a room full of screeching Cybermen. He slammed the door shut again. He looked around. They were surrounded by fire and explosions. And there was one more thing observable.

" There's no way out!" He called out over the noise.

" There _has to be_!" Rose exclaimed in a panic, looking around. None of them wanted to believe there was no way out. They all wanted to escape, to live. They needed to find a way out. Rose's phone beeped again and she quickly answered it. It was Mickey.

" _Rose! Rose, can you hear me? Head for the roof!_" He ordered in a panicked voice. Rose turned to the other three, who watched in curiosity.

" It's Mickey! He says head for the roof!" She told them. They all sped off towards a metal stair case and froze as fire burst through the steps but then Rose led the way up, followed by Selene, then the Doctor and then Pete.

Metal was heating up at an alarming rate and Selene could feel it through the rubber soles of her shoes. She was fairly sure her hand got burned on a bit of the railing, but she ignored it as they had to climb a ladder on the side of the building. They rushed up and Rose clambered over the side first, moving the phone back up to her ear as they all stared up at the zeppelin floating in the air.

" Mickey, where'd you learn to fly that thing!?" Rose exclaimed.

" _PlayStation. Just hold on, Rose, I'm coming to get you,_" Mickey replied. They all took off at a sprint again as the roof began to blow up in different spots. Glass began to shatter and the debris was thrown into the sky only to fall back to the roof. As they passed under the zeppelin, a rope ladder dropped down and Rose grabbed one end as the Doctor pushed Selene to take the other side.

" Get up!" The Doctor insisted and Selene let Rose begin to climb first before beginning to follow. The zeppelin began to move upwards and the wind whipped through all of their hair as they continued to climb. Rose grinned and looked down at Selene and the Doctor.

" We did it!" She shouted to them happily.

" Woo!" Selene called out into the sky, grinning as well. They all yelled out as something jerked on the ladder, causing them to loose their footing and look down. Lumic was grasping onto the bottom step, attempting to heave himself upwards. He was beginning to climb, getting too close to Pete to be comfortable.

" Pete! Take this!" The Doctor urged, holding out the Sonic, an arm looped through the steps of the ladder. Pete reached up and took it. " Use it! Hold the button down! Press it against the rope! Just do it!"

" Jackie Tyler, this is for her!" Pete shouted as he managed to get the Sonic to work, pressing it against the rope. Lumic continued to get closer and everyone held their breath. He was about to grab Pete's foot when suddenly…

The rope finally got cut through.

Lumic fell away along with the bottom of the ladder, screaming as he was swallowed up by the flames of the factory explosion.

Pete let out a triumphant laugh, and they all paused before continuing their ascent into the zeppelin.

When Selene hauled herself on to the floor of the zeppelin interior, she rolled to the side, laying on the floor, catching her breath. She groaned and rubbed her face, sitting up.

" Feeling alright?" The Doctor asked with a grin, holding out a hand to help her up. She took it and he pulled her to her feet effortlessly.

" Well, we did just escape an exploding factory and an insane robot man and are all seemingly unscathed, so… I'd say yes!" She told him before yanking him into a tight hug. He returned the embrace and grinned, spinning her around once. Both eventually let go and everyone continued to exchange embraces. Mickey eventually gave the steering to Jake and ran down to find his friends.

" Thank _God_ you're all alright!" He told them, earning a group hug from Rose and Selene.

" Thank God you play PlayStation!" Selene told him, pulling away. " Otherwise, we'd all be burnt to a crisp right now!"

" You saved us! Thank you!" Rose said, pulling him in for another hug. Well, all the insane craziness was over… for now.

OOOO

Selene followed the Doctor in to the TARDIS when they arrived back to the shore of the Thames. He strode over to the console and placed the glowing power cell that had survived the entire adventure somehow, on the console. The two waited for a moment before suddenly, the lights came back on. The console powered up. Everything was working. The Doctor grinned brightly, teeth showing as he stared up at his beloved time machine.

" Oh, awesome, it's finally working!" Selene exclaimed, falling back into the pilot's seat, scrubbing a hand through her tangled hair. The Doctor let out a little giggle as he checked a few things, running his hands through his hair, causing it to stand up a bit.

" We've only got about… five or so minutes of power though. We need to get going real soon or we'll be stuck here for _much_ longer," The Doctor told her, making his way to the door. With a breath, Selene threw herself back onto her feet and ran towards the door, stepping out beside the Doctor. " Rose?"

By the looks on both Rose's and Pete's faces, Selene knew Rose had just tried to convince him that she was his daughter in a parallel world, and that he was completely dodging the subject.

" I've only got five minutes of power. We got to go," The Doctor said as he jogged over, Selene coming after him at a steady walk.

" The Doctor could show ya," Rose tried, eyes teary.

" Thank you… for everything," Pete said.

" Dad."

The Doctor's eyes widened a bit as he realized what must have been happening when he'd been restoring the TARDIS' power.

" Don't… Just… Just don't." And with that, Pete turned and jogged off, sending back a glance or two before resolving not to again. The Doctor rubbed the back of his head and Selene made her way to Rose's side, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders.

" Here it is!" Mickey said happily, walking over with Jake. He held the Doctor's suit folded up and held it out to the man it belonged to. " I found it! Not a crease."

" My suit! Good man!" He took it and grinned but then looked up at Jake. " Now, then, Jake, we've got to run. But one more thing…" He trailed off and looked at Selene to stood up a bit straighter.

" Mrs. Moore. She told us her real name. It's Angela Price," Selene said. Jake turned and looked at her. " She has kids. And a husband. Find them and _please _tell them that she died to save the world. Please." Jake sent her a genuine grin.

" Yeah, of course I will," He assured her, earning a smile back from her.

" Off we go then!" The Doctor said.

" Uh, thing is, I'm staying," Mickey suddenly admitted, causing three pairs of eyes to snap to him and go wide.

" You're doing _what?_" The Doctor asked, unsure if he'd heard him wrong. Rose's eyes began to water even more.

" You can't," She whispered brokenly.

" Mickey, _please_," Selene begged, her own eyes beginning to sting.

" It sort of balances things out," He said, voice breaking. " 'Cause this world lost its Rickey, but there's me. And there's work to be done with all those Cybermen still out there." Rose began to cry, her voice thick.

" But you can't stay," She told him sadly.

" Rose, my Gran's here. She's still alive, my ol' Gran, remember her?"

" Yeah."

" She needs me."

" What about me? What if _I _need you?" Rose asked. Mickey looked down and looked over at the Doctor.

" Yeah, but, Rose, you don't." His eyes flicked to Selene as well. " It's just you and him now, isn't it?" He looked over at Selene. " And, Selene, you've got him as well. And you've got Rose. You don't really need me, do you?" Turning his attention back to the blond he continued to talk, trying not to notice the fact tears were running in rivers down Selene's cheeks. " We had something a long time ago, but… not anymore."

" Well, we'll come back," Rose said. " We can travel anywhere, come and see you, yeah?"

" We can't." The Doctor looked at the three sadly. " I told you, travel between parallel worlds is impossible. We only got here by accident; Selene only got here by accident. We- we fell through a crack in time. When we leave, I've got to close it. We can't ever return." Everything fell silent as reality fully sank in. Mickey sucked in a breath and straightened up.

" Doctor," Mickey said, extending a hand. The Doctor shook it.

" Take Rose's phone, it's got the code. Get it out there, stop those factories. And good luck," The Doctor said, a smile beginning to spread on his face. " Mickey the idiot." He playfully tapped his cheek.

" Watch it," Mickey replied, smirking a bit. The Doctor returned to the TARDIS, leaving Selene and Rose with the other two. " Thanks," He said to Rose. " We've had a laugh, though, haven't we? Seen it all, been there and back? Who would have thought me and you off the old estate, flying through the stars."

" All those years just sitting there, imagining what we'd do one day…" Rose's voice cracked harshly as she spoke again. " We never saw this, did we?" They hugged tightly and Mickey sighed.

" Go on, don't miss your flight." Rose eventually let go and sniffed, keeping her face turned away as she quickly walked back to the TARDIS. Selene swiftly flung her arms around Mickey and he squeezed her tightly back as she softly cried into his shoulder.

" I don't care that we've barely known each other; you are one of the best friends I have ever and _will ever have_, Mickey. Remember that alright? If you don't I'll figure out a way to fly through space and kick your ass," She mumbled into his neck, earning a laugh from him. She pulled away, tears wetting her cheeks and she gave a sad smile, following Rose back into the TARDIS, the door creaking and shutting behind her.

" Jake, you want to watch this," Mickey told his new companion, nodding to the blue phone box. They both watched as the light on top flashed and the engines whirred, the TARDIS slowly disappearing before their eyes. Jake stared in wonder and confusion.

" What… _the hell?!_" He exclaimed. Mickey nodded and then replied as the TARDIS completely disappeared,

" That's the Doctor, in the TARDIS, with Rose Tyler and Selene Thomas."

OOOO

After everyone had changed, they all stayed silent as the Doctor obliged Rose's quiet request to visit home. Selene sat on the floor, back pressed against the railing, her sweatshirt cuffs pulled over her hands, chin resting on her forearms. She wasn't sure how life would be without Mickey around now. It would be hard to actually get used to; they would complain together about how the Doctor and Rose went on conversations about things they had no idea had happened. They'd complain about running or mindless other things. But as the TARDIS landed and she stood, she knew she'd never forget him, no matter what happened.

Rose stepped out of the TARDIS to find her mother standing there, grinning.

" You're alive," Rose muttered. " Oh, Mum, you're alive!" She ran forward and snatched up Jackie in a hug.

" Well, I was the last time I looked!" Jackie replied with a laugh. The Doctor and Selene stepped out as well and shut the creaky door, the looks on their faces setting off an alarm in Jackie's head. " What is it, what's happened, Sweetheart? What's wrong, where did you go?"

" Far away," The Doctor replied. " That was… far away."

" Where's Mickey?"

" He's gone home."

Rose held her mother tighter, eyes unable to produce anymore tears, seeing as she'd been crying for so long. Selene rubbed the bridge of her nose and let out a shaky sigh, barely registering when the Doctor draped a long arm over her shoulder. She eventually leaned into his side, staring at the carpet, arms crossed over her chest. At least she knew the Doctor would always be there for them, no matter what fresh hell the universe decided to serve up.

_**Afterword: Ahhhh, such an emotional ending! Also… I AM SO SORRY for the late update! School decided to be extremely rude and serve up so much work I could only write on scraps of paper during class, which was really annoying. I finally got this up and I hope to update all other stories and start the next chapter for this tomorrow. Anyway, hope you liked the chapter!**_

_**REVIEW REPLIES!**_

**grapejuice101:**_ Ahaha, I hope you enjoyed this! And yes, Rickey did indeed flirt with dear Selene! Ohhhhhh, Rickey… But now Mickey is gone! AHH! DX Thanks again for the help on this chapter and the review!_

**TheGirlWhoImagined:**_ Rickey just had a little crush on Selene XD And Mickey was obviously freaked out by it! Anyway, thanks again and hope you enjoyed the chapter!_

**loulouflowerpower:**_ Hope you enjoyed the update! Took me a while to get out, but I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks again!_

**fanfreak4ever:**_ Yeah, it's always difficult trying to get Selene in there for good bits with Rose still here, but I'm pushing through! I'm glad you liked the chapter! Hope you enjoyed this one! Thanks again!  
_**Gamerlady123:**_ HA HA HA! That was a cliffhanger! Now you must wait for the next on, which is one of my favorite episodes (Idiot's Lantern; it was the first Doctor Who episode I actually ever saw) Hope you enjoyed the chaper and thanks again!_

**EmOvAmPcHiLd:**_ Hope you enjoyed the new chapter and thanks so much for the review!_

**TheMagentaColor:**_ Aha, I was wondering how many people were gonna just sit and stare at the 'to be continued' at the end of the chapter XD I'm glad you've been enjoying the story! (Also, by the way, LOVE your profile picture! I love Loki XD) Thanks again for the review!_

**notwritten:**_ Hope you enjoyed the chapter and thanks so much for the review!_

**E-man-dy-S:**_ Yes, Rickey does have some wandering eyes… XD Hope you liked the chapter! Thanks again!_

**dirtyconfessions:**_ Thank you so much! I'm glad you think Selene's fitting in pretty well! It definitely is hard with Rose still there, but I try my hardest to keep Selene in there! Thanks again so much for the review and hope you liked the chapter!_

_**And thank you to those who have read or added this to their story favorites or alerts. It means the entire universe plus a TARDIS and the Doctor and all the companions to me! (And that's a lot!)**_

_** Okay, guys, that's it for now! Hope you'll stick around to see what interesting things I have planned! =D I have a lot, a list actually… XD Anyway, thanks again you guys! Review and let me know how I'm doing!**_

_**~Mary**_


	6. The Idiot's Lantern

_Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who (the places, planets, the aliens, the creatures) or any of the characters… and saddest of all, I do not own the Doctor. Which sucks. I only own my OC, Selene._

6. The Idiot's Lantern

_**London, 1953**_

Rain was sheeting down in the night-blanketed streets, the droplets pelting the windows of Magpie Electricals. Thunder crackled and came accompanied with brilliant flashes of lightning, making the night all the more dismal. Magpie, the only proprietor of aforementioned electronics shop, was bent over the front desk, doing his books before the night ended. He was surrounded by televisions and other electronic odds and ends, and the voice of the woman on the black and white television display behind him wasn't helping much either.

"_ Orchestrations were arranged by Sir Rodney Fenning, and Dame Eve English is a member of the Kings Lynn Players. So tune in again next week for more from the 'What's My Line' team. And that brings us to the end of programming for today. So, from all of us here at Alexandra Palace, a very good night,_" She said in a very proper voice, as her image flickered away and was replaced by a symbol as 'God Save The Queen' began to play.

A very good night? That was certainly not what Magpie was having, not in the _least_ bit.

" £200 overdrawn…" He muttered to himself, ripping the page he'd been writing in out of the book. He sighed to himself as he crumpled up the piece of paper in his big hands. " I need a miracle." The piece of paper soon found itself hurled to the corner of the room, Magpie leaning against the desk with his face in his hands.

Inside the Connolly home, the family was gathered in the living room, listening to the nightly programs on the radio. Tommy, the youngest of the family, sat on the couch reading a magazine while his Gran ate a crumpet and his mother, Rita, used a sewing machine by the window. Rita laughed quietly.

" He's a caution, that one. He does make me laugh," She said with a smile. Eddie Connolly, Rita's husband and Tommy's father, walked into the room wearing a suit with a collection of medals across the left half of the suit jacket.

" Oh, our Lord and Master," Gran said to him with a smile.

" Rita, I'm off out," He told his wife as he continued to fix his tie. Tommy excitedly turned to look up at him.

" Dad," He said, holding up the magazine to him, which displayed a picture of a television.

" Oh, how many times, son? We'll see."

" But everyone's getting a telly, Dad, even Mr. Gallagher. _And_ the bells at number sixty-seven," Tommy informed, leaning back into the couch, casting his eyes to the magazine again.

" Well, perhaps we'll get one for the Coronation." Tommy looked at him hopefully. " If you're lucky. We'll see." He ruffled Tommy's hair and turned to look at a smiling Rita. " Don't wait up."

" _I _heard they rot your brains; rot them into soup and your brain comes pouring out of your ears! That's what television does," Gran told Tommy, a worried tone to her voice.

Magpie Electricals soon found itself struck by a red volt of lightning, connecting with the broadcasting antennae atop the roof. Inside, Magpie's head rested among scraps of paper on the desk, exhausted to the point he'd passed out trying to sort everything out. The blank telly suddenly jolted on, the image of the woman from the evening broadcast coming back on in a flash of red.

" _Mr. Magpie,_" She said. Magpie stirred slightly, waking up at the sound of his name. " _Mr. Magpie._" He sat up and looked around, confused.

" Eh?"  
" _Whoo-hoo! Can you hear me, Magpie?_"

" Yes…" He replied cautiously, turning towards the telly. " I must be dreaming…"

" _Oh no, this isn't a dream,_" She assured him with a smile. He stared at the woman on the screen who had dark painted lips that were probably red if he could see her in color, and short dark hair that curled.

" I'm going doolally then," Magpie muttered, eyes trained on the screen.

" _Not at all, Sweetheart. Now, are you sitting comfortably? Good. Then we'll begin._"

Laces of red electricity arced out of the screen, latching on to Magpies head. His face began to be sucked towards the screen and the woman laughed as he screamed.

OOOO

_**On The TARDIS**_

Selene donned a sweater and grinned at herself in the wardrobe mirror. It was the first time she'd gotten to dress in period clothing in the TARDIS or on any adventure. Of course when the Doctor announced,

" We're going to have some fun and see Elvis! Think of how fun that'll be! Now, remember we'll need to blend in as best we can, so go down to the wardrobe and dress accordingly! Remember, the fifties!" Selene immediately knew what episode she was about to get into. She knew they wouldn't make it to see Elvis. She knew it was going to be dangerous… but she just knew that it was going to be fun. The fifties! She'd always wished that the fashion would revert to those types of dresses again; she loved the styles. The TARDIS wardrobe was massive with clothes from every era possibly imaginable hanging on racks. There was also what she considered to be normal Earth clothing to her, and made a note to herself to sneak down and borrow some of it sometime. She soon lost Rose in there as they split up looking for dresses, seeing as there was _no_ organization possible in that room and everything was completely mixed up.

Selene happily stepped out of the wardrobe and walked through the halls of the TARDIS and up to the console. The Doctor turned from what he was doing and grinned as he looked her over.

" Well, don't you look all dolled up!" The Doctor exclaimed as he put his hands in his pockets and walked towards her. His hair was slicked and brushed back into a sort of Pompadour style, which was drastically different from its normal messy style. Paired with his usual suit, he still looked completely handsome. Selene returned the grin and spun in a circle, the skirt of her dress fanning out around her.

Her dress was a pale blue with floral prints spreading up the skirt, a dark blue belt around her waist, a white sweater on her shoulders, a gold locket around her neck, and a pair of tan saddle shoes that had two-inch heels. Her hair was curled tightly in an almost longer version of Marilyn Monroe's hairstyle, and was pinned in some spots to keep it out of her eyes.

" Why thank you, Doctor!" Selene told him. She pointed to his hair. " Brand new style I see."

" Yeah, it is. Thought I could change it up a bit… just this once though."

" Good, 'cause I sort of love the whole… spiky, messy look," Selene admitted, fixing the back of one of her shoes. The Doctor paused before leaning against the console and smiled at her.

" Really?" He asked, sounding satisfied as he crossed his arms and ankles. Selene laughed a bit and nodded.

" Of course!" She said with a smile. Grinning, the Doctor giggled a bit.

" So, excited to see Elvis?"

" Of course! But I like the Beatles just a bit more."

" Well, we'll have to make a visit to them sometime!" The Doctor told her with honesty, smiling even more. A shocked look came over her face.

" Really?" She asked in disbelief.

" Yeah! I mean, why not? They must be a great bunch to be around." Selene grinned and hugged him tightly.

" Oh my God, that would be amazing!" She told him with disbelief still her voice, which was muffled by his shoulder. He chuckled and returned the hug, smiling at her enthusiasm.

" I'll make sure it happens then."

" So where we going exactly?" Came Rose's voice as she walked up to the console. Selene pulled away from the Doctor, who quickly turned and flicked some switches before checking the monitor.

" New York City," The Doctor replied. Rose leaned against the console and handed Selene a pair of sunglasses and they both watched as the Doctor flicked about the room, adjusting controls and buttons.

" New York?" Rose questioned, trying to make sense of the plan.

" Yeah!"

" I love New York; great big city full of life," Selene commented as she fixed her hair.

" We landed yet?" She asked the Doctor, who grabbed a hold of the monitor.

" Uh… just about… yes! We've landed! Step out those doors and we're in good ol' NYC!" He announced, running off to go look for something. Selene and Rose exchanged a look and laughed as they walked towards the door. Rose wore a pink dress that had a skirt falling half way down her calf with a blue form-fitting leather jacket zipped over it. Matching pink heels adorned her feet and she also had on a pair of fishnet stockings and her blond hair was pulled, pinned and hair sprayed back, a pink headband resting on her head as well.

The two women stepped out of the door, looking around as the Doctor began to follow. They looked around at the grey skies and Rose finally voiced what had been nagging in her mind.

" I thought we'd be going for the Vegas era," She admitted. " You know the… white flares and the, grr, chest hair." Selene laughed a bit and the Doctor poked his head out the TARDIS door, giving Rose and odd look.

" You _are_ kidding, aren't you?" The two turned to look at him. " If you want to see Elvis, you go for the late fifties. The time before burgers, when they called him 'The Pelvis,' and he still had a waist. What's more, you see him in style!" He told them as Rose and Selene began to laugh, rolling their eyes a bit. The moment of laughter, however, was interrupted by the revving of an engine. Both turned to see the Doctor ride out of the TARDIS on a scooter, which just so happened to be the same color of the TARDIS, wearing a white crash helmet and aviator sunglasses. With that and the pin-striped brown suit, he fit in perfectly. He carried two other helmets in his hand as he zoomed out the door, passed them and skid to a stop a few feet away. Rose and Selene shared a laugh and the Doctor smiled over at them.

" You two dolls goin' my way?" He said in a deepened voice and in a manor that clearly said he was imitating Elvis. Both girls looked at each other and grinned.

" Is there any other way to go, Daddy-o?" Rose asked in an American accent. " Straight from the fridge, man." She eagerly pulled on her pink-framed sunglasses, walking over.

" Oh, you speak the lingo!" The Doctor exclaimed happily in his normal voice as he handed Rose a pink helmet. " How about you, Selene?" Selene smirked, shut the TARDIS door and pulled on her blue-tinted aviators and made her way over.

" Don't flip your lid, I've got it down," She said with a laugh as he giggled a bit and tossed her a light blue helmet. Rose sat on the seat behind the Doctor and said,

" I got it from watching Cliff Richard movies every bank holiday Monday." She pulled on her helmet and secured it on her chin, wrapping her arms around the Doctor's waist. Selene was happy to notice that there was enough room for her to sit behind Rose, and took her seat, securing her helmet.

" Oh… _Cliff_. I knew your mother would be a Cliff fan," The Doctor said with a small shake of his head as they took off down the street, the scooter managing to stay stable even with the three of them sitting on it.

" Where we off to?" Rose called out over the sound of the engine.

" Ed Sullivan TV studios! Elvis did 'Hound Dog' on one of his shows, there were loads of complaints," The Doctor replied. " Bit of luck, we'll just catch it."

" And the TV studio's in New York, correct?" Selene asked doubtfully as she looked at all the buildings.

" That's the one!"

" This definitely does _not_ look like New York, trust me," Selene said. They all noted the red double-decker bus that sped across a street when they stopped to let it pass and red circular mail drop-off boxes and a doorway lined with Union flags to their right. Rose laughed for a moment as the Doctor looked around confused.

" Ha-ha! Digging that New York vibe!" She teased and Selene laughed as well.

" Definitely not New York, sorry, Doctor," She told him with a smile.

" Well… this could still be New York… I mean… this looks very New York to me," The Doctor said; voice unsure as he glanced around. " Sort of… London-y New York, mind, but…"

" What are all the flags for?" Rose asked.

They all looked up to see strings of red, white and blue triangular flags strung up between the two rows of houses, hanging over the street.

" We could stop and ask someone," Selene suggested as she nodded to a group of men just on the side of the street.

" Yeah… yeah, we should do that," The Doctor agreed, hopping off the scooter, Rose and Selene following suit. They removed their helmets and pulled off their sunglasses, making their way to the men. Two workers were pulling out a television from the back of a van, supervised by a man in a tan coat.

" There you go, sir!" Magpie told a man in a grey sweater-vest. " All wired up for the great occasion!" The Doctor, catching said comment, scratched behind his ear and asked,

" 'The great occasion'? What do you mean?" Magpie looked at the three as if they were insane.

" Where have you been living, out in the Colonies?" He asked jokingly.

" Yes," Selene said in both a sarcastic and joking tone, a kind smile on her face. Rose snickered and rolled her eyes at Selene's antics.

" Well… it's the Coronation, of course!"

" And… what Coronation is that, then?" The Doctor asked, still trying to set a date and place. Magpie froze in shutting the back doors of the van and raised an eyebrow, thinking they all must be joking.

" What do you mean?" He asked. " _The_ Coronation." The Doctor's eyebrows shot up and Rose had a connection click in her head.

" The Queen's- Queen Elizabeth!" She said, looking over at the Doctor, clearly tyring to get him to catch on.

" Oh. _Oh!_" The Doctor let his head fall back in realization. " Is this nineteen fifty-three?" He asked with a joyous tone.

" Last time I looked. Time for a lovely bit of pomp and circumstance," Magpie said to them as Selene nudged the two and nodded to the roofs; tons of television antennas were on almost every single roof. " What we do best."

" Look at all the TV aerials…" Rose muttered. " Looks like everyone's got one. That's weird. My Nan said tellies were so rare, they all had to pile into one house."

" Not 'round here, love," Magpie told her. " Magpie's marvelous tellies, only five quid a box." The Doctor wandered a few feet away, suddenly grinning again.

" Oh, but this is a _brilliant_ year! Classic! Technicolor! Everest climbed! Everything off the ration! A nation throwing off the shadows of war and looking forward to a happier, brighter future!" The Doctor exclaimed happily, holding out his arms with a grin on the last bit. Rose and Selene couldn't help but forget about their suspicions on the televisions and laugh with him. He always managed to get off track from the current conversation and go off on another topic, and at times like that moment, it was just the best thing in the world to listen to.

But, of course, as all adventures with the Doctor go, the mood immediately switched as a woman yelled,

" Someone help me, please! Ted!" The four all spun around, smiles gone, and saw two men in suits dragging a figure out of a house with a blanket over their head like a hood. " Leave him alone! He's my husband! Please!" The Doctor sprinted towards the house, Selene and Rose not too far behind. They stopped a few feet short of the car where the hooded man was being shoved into.

" What's going on!?" The Doctor asked in worry.

" Oi! What are you doing!" A younger voice shouted as a younger boy, Tommy, came running out of a house across the street.

" Police business, now get out of the way, sir," A man in a hat told the Doctor, face completely stern. Tommy had just stopped by Selene and the group watched the scene in absolute confusion. Selene turned to Tommy, pointing to the man in the car.

" Do you know who they're taking?" She asked quickly. Tommy looked through the back window of the car, only discerning who it was by the woman standing and watching with tears on her cheeks.

" It must be Mr. Gallagher," He decided in a shaky voice. The car sped off, leaving Mrs. Gallagher sobbing on the sidewalk. " It's been happening all over the place. They're turning into monsters."

" _Tommy!_" Came the authoritative and angry voice of his father, who stood in the doorway of his house, glaring at his son. " Not one word! Get inside! Now!"

" Sorry," Tommy apologized, a conflicted look on his face. He thought maybe these strangers could help. That they might know what to do. He wanted to tell them more, ask for help, but if his father was as angry as he sounded, he would have to give the notion up. " I'd better do as he says." Tommy jogged back across the street and the Doctor turned his eyes to the car. The Doctor pulled on his sunglasses and grabbed his helmet, dashing back to the scooter. The three jumped on and got ready, revving the engine and kicking up the kickstand.

" All aboard!" The Doctor called out as they took off after the mysterious car. Selene held on tightly to Rose's waist as they hit small bumps and weaved slightly. The Doctor was speeding up swiftly, dodging other cars and the random citizen, trying to catch up with the car. When the car swerved around the corner, she knew that it would have disappeared by the time they got there. She thought she was going to fall off as they made the sharp turn around the corner, but the scooter soon came to a stop as they noticed one thing: no car in sight. Just a fruit vendor.

" Lost them," The Doctor said in surprise. " How did they get away from us?"  
" _I'm _surprised they didn't turn around and arrest you for reckless driving! Have you actually _passed_ your test?" Rose asked.

" By the way he just drove and the occasional odd landing in the TARDIS, do you think he's passed _any_ driving or flying tests?" Questioned Selene as she caught her breath.

" Men in black?" The Doctor continued on his own train of though, earning a groan from Rose and a chuckle from Selene. " Vanishing police cars? This is Churchill's England, not _Stalin's Russia!_"

" Monsters, that boy said…" Rose trailed off, remembering what Tommy had told them in a rush. The Doctor turned his head to look at her. " Maybe we should go ask the neighbors."

" That's what I like about you- the domestic approach."

" Thank you," Rose said before pausing, face falling. " Hold on, was that an insult?" The Doctor merely smiled a bit as he moved the scooter forward again, cutting off the conversation.

OOOO

Tommy slowly inched his ways up the stairs that led to his Gran's room. Mr. Connolly had her locked up there once… _it_ happened. Tommy was getting worried about her. With all the thumping they heard on the floor, day and night, he didn't know what was wrong or what could help. He'd managed to snag the key to her room and decided he would go check on her, to make sure she was still alright. He paused on the steps as another loud thump sounded from behind one of the doors on the landing. He walked over to the door and reached out the key, preparing to slide it into the lock.

" Gran?" He asked softly. " Gran, it's me. It's Tommy. I'm gonna come in, Gran. Stand back." As he began to put the key in the lock, Mr. Connolly stepped onto the landing, hands in his pockets, eyes narrowed angrily. " Just don't… I'm sorry, but I've got to come in."

" What do you think your doing?" Mr. Connolly asked gruffly. Tommy turned quickly and stared at his father, wide eyed.

" We've got to try and help her, Dad."

" Give me that key." Tommy didn't move to hand over he key. " I said, give me that key right now." He finally stepped forward and handed his father the key, who snatched it up and put it in his pocket. " Don't think I'm finished with you," He practically growled to his son, who ducked his head and walked down the stairs again, heading for the living room.

" All the warnings I've given you, and every time, _every time,_ you disobey me!" Mr. Connolly said in a hushed yell once they stood in the living room, Mrs. Connolly watching with a saddened expression.

" We can't just lock her away," Tommy protested, voice sounding quiet and weak.

" _Excuse me_, sunshine,I am talking. And you can forget that college nonsense. You're gonna come work alongside me, get your hands dirty for once!" Mr. Connolly turned away from him and began to pace away. Another thump sounded from the ceiling. They all looked up and Mrs. Connolly let out a shuddering breath.

" Oh, Lord. Won't she ever stop?" She asked sadly as another thump resonated through the house. Her husband held her arms and said,

" There, there, Rita, my sweet. Business as usual. Now lets get these up all over the house." He gestured to a pile of Union flag decorations. " In honor of Her Majesty."

" But, Eddie, what if she's dying?" She asked, tears in her eyes. That was _her_ mother locked upstairs and she worried about her day and night.

" _I AM TALKING!_" Mr. Connolly shouted in his wife's face, releasing her arms. She stared at him, watery eyed, mouth hanging open as the only sound in the room became the television and the sputtering sound of an engine outside. " That's better. A little bit of hush!"

The doorbell rang.

When Mr. Connolly opened the door, there stood the Doctor, Selene and Rose, all with big grins on their faces.

" Hi!" The three said in unison. Tommy stood in the hall behind his father and stared at the three familiar faces. Mr. Connolly's dark eyebrows furrowed at the trio on his doorstep.

" Who are you then?" He asked. The Doctor looked him over and began talking through his thoughts out loud, reaching for the Psychic Paper.

" Let's see, then, judging by the look of you- family man, nice house, decent wage, fought in the war- therefore I represent," He pulled out he Psychic Paper and held it up for Mr. Connolly to look at, grinning as he said, " Queen and Country! Just doing a little check of Her Forthcoming Majesty's subjects for the great day!"

" Would you mind if we came in?" Selene asked as they all looked at him with questioning looks.

" Nah! Didn't think you would, thank you!" The Doctor said quickly as they began to walk into the house, a surprised looking Mr. Connolly stepping aside to close the door after they stepped in. The Doctor made a bee-line to the living room, hands clasped behind his back as he walked. " Not bad! Very nice! Very well kept!" He walked towards Mrs. Connolly, who stood by the television. " I'd like to congratulate you, Mrs…?"

" Connolly," She replied. Tommy walked in and stood to the side, Mr. Connolly following Selene and Rose in.

" Now then, Rita, I can handle this. This gentleman's a proper representative!" He told her, smiling in an almost smug manor, hands behind his back. " Don't mind the wife, she rattles on a bit." The three time travelers looked over to Mrs. Connolly who gave her husband an almost frightened look.

" Well, maybe she should rattle on a bit more," Suggested the Doctor. Rose sat on the arm of an arm chair, carefully arranging her skirt around her. " I'm not convinced you're doing your patriotic duty. Nice flags. Why are they not flying?"

" There we are, Rita, I told you, get them up, Queen and Country," Mr. Connolly said.

" I'm sorry," She said to the Doctor, who moved towards her husband, brow furrowed.

" Get it done! Do it now." The Doctor gestured for her to stay were she was.

" Hold on a minute," He said.

" Like the gentleman says-"

" Hold on a minute. You've got hands, Mr. Connolly. Two big hands. So why is that your wife's job?"

" It's house work, innit?"

" And… that's a woman's job?" The Doctor inquired, brows raising.

" Of course it is!" He replied, earning a look from Selene.

" Mr. Connolly, what gender is the _Queen?_"

" She's a female."

" And are you suggesting the _Queen_ does the _housework?_" The Doctor asked again, voice hushed. Tommy felt a small smile tug at his lips, but didn't show it, only looking back and forth between his father and the man in the pin striped suit in the pause that ensued the question.

" No," Mr. Connolly finally replied, sounding slightly appalled. " Not at all!" The Doctor snatched up a string of flags and held them out to him saying,

" Then get busy!" He nodded towards the corner of the room.

" Right, yes, sir! You'll be proud of us, sir! We'll have Union Jacks left, right and center!" At his comment, Rose stood and turned to face him, brow arching, hands on her hips.

" Excuse me, Mr. Connolly. Hang on a minute. _'Union Jacks?'_" She asked.

" Yeah, that's right, isn't it?" He asked, sounding confused.

" That's the Union flag. It's only the Union Jack when it's flown at _sea_."

" Oh. Oh, I'm sorry I-I do apologize!"

" Well, don't get it wrong again. There's a good man. Now get to it!" She ordered, voice becoming a demanding yell at the end, which made him turn and continue to pin up the flags. She turned and smiled at the Doctor who raised his eyebrows and said,

" Right then!" He sat down on the left side of the two person couch, Rose sitting beside him, Selene taking the arm of the piece of furniture on the Doctor's left. " Nice and comfy, at Her Majesty's leisure!" He smiled and kept it there as he leaned over to whisper to Rose. " Union flag?"

" Mum went out with a sailor," Rose explained with a smile. The Doctor laughed.

" Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh! I bet she did!" He turned back to Mrs. Connolly and Tommy. " Anyway, I'm the Doctor, this is Rose and this is Selene, and you are?" He directed his eyes to the boy, who was probably in his early to mid teens.

" Tommy," He responded, brown eyes sliding over to his father nervously.

" Well, sit yourself down, Tommy," The Doctor insisted kindly, both him and Rose scooching apart to make room for him in between them. He patted the cushions and Tommy walked over, sitting down, Mrs. Connolly taking the armchair to Selene's left.

" Look at that," Selene said as everyone leaned forward to look at the television.

" I love telly, what about you?" The Doctor asked Tommy, smiling. The subject made him smile and he nodded.

" Yeah, I think it's brilliant."

" Good man!" There was a pause where they all watched the program. " Keep working, Mr. C!" He looked over at Mrs. Connolly, face serious. " Now, why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

" Did you say you were a doctor?" She asked quietly.

" Yes I am."

" Can you help her? Oh, please, can you help her, Doctor?"

" Now then, Rita, I don't think the gentleman needs to know," Mr. Connolly said in a controlling voice.

" Oh, the gentleman _does_," The Doctor countered cleverly.

" If you tell us what's wrong, we can help you, we promise," Selene told her softly, reaching out and gently taking the older woman's hand when she began to cry. The Doctor had noticed this about Selene on the travels he'd been on with her; she was always looking out for other people before herself. Always trying to make sure everyone was okay and happy, helping them every chance she could get. He truly admired that about her, she was an extremely loving and caring person, and that's just what the Connolly's needed at the moment.

As Mrs. Connolly began to sob, Rose came over and both she and Selene wrapped an arm around her, comforting her.

" It's alright. Come on," Rose said softly and comfortingly. " Oh, it's alright… it's alright."

" Hold on a minute," Mr. Connolly finally said. " Queen and Country's one thing, but this is _my house!_ What the-" He stared at the flags in his hands before tossing them to the floor. " What the _hell_ am I doing!?" He marched across the room to glare menacingly at the taller man seated on the couch. " You listen here, Doctor. You may have fancy qualifications, but what goes on under my roof is my business!" The Doctor has his cheek resting against his fist, and he began to talk over him.

" All those people are bundled into-"

" _I am talking!_" Mr. Connolly shouted again. The Doctor, completely angered, jumped up and glared down at the man, face scrunched up.

" _And I'M NOT LISTENING!_" The Doctor shouted back with surprising volume and anger. Mr. Connolly stared at him in surprise. " Now, you, Mr. Connolly, you are staring into a deep, dark _pit_ of trouble if you don't let me help." Selene noticed Tommy's surprised expression and slid over to him, letting Rose continue to comfort Mrs. Connolly. She slid an arm around the boy's shoulders, rubbing his arm gently and he looked up at her, a slightly worried look coming onto his face. She knew that she would want some sort of comfort if a chaotic situation had just broken out around her. She gave a kind smile as the Doctor continued to speak. " So I'm ordering you, _SIR_, tell me what's going on!"

Three thumps sounded from the ceiling again.

" She won't stop," Mr. Connolly finally said as they all looked up at the ceiling.

_Thud. Thud._

" She never stops!"

" We started hearing stories all 'round the place. People who've… changed," Tommy offered as everyone turned their attention to him. " Families keeping it secret 'cause they were scared. Then the police started finding out. We don't know how. No one does. They just… turn up, come to the door and take them, any time of the day or night."

The Doctor's brow was creased in thought. It was about time they finally figure out what was going on.

" Show me," He told him.

Gran's room was pitch black when Tommy opened the door. Everyone was quiet. Everyone was waiting. Selene could feel the tension like it was a blanket settling down on everyone's shoulders.

" Gran? It's Tommy. It's alright, Gran. I've brought help," Tommy said as one by one they all entered the room, seeing the old woman's silhouette rock towards them in the dim light coming from behind the pale lace curtains. Tommy turned on a lamp and they all stared at what stood before them.

Tommy's grandmother had no face. None at all; her eyes, nose and mouth were completely absent, leaving a smooth surface. Selene held back the impulse she had to grab the Doctor's hand, so she gripped the skirt of her dress instead. She couldn't let her feelings towards him become real… he loved Rose, always did, always will. Selene shook her head again, focusing on the present problem at hand.

The Doctor almost immediately stepped forward and leaned close to inspect where Gran's face used to be. He gestured Selene and Rose over as he grabbed for the Sonic Screwdriver in his pocket.

" Her face is completely gone…" The Doctor muttered, stating the obvious. Holding the Sonic the way an actual doctor might hold a flashlight to observe one's pupils, he clicked the button, bathing the old woman's face in blue light. As it pulsed, he scanned her forehead curiously. His forehead creased. " There's barely an electrical impulse left… Almost complete neural shut down, it's just taking over. It's like her brain's been… wiped clean."

" What are we gonna do, Doctor? We can't even feed her," Tommy said, voice once again quiet, face turning worried again. Just then, they all heard the front door crash open. Spinning around Rose announced,

" We've got company."

" When do we _not_ get company? I think it's become part of our travels," Selene pointed out as panic quickly befell them.

" It's them! They've come for her," Mrs. Connolly said with worry, wringing her hands as the men came tromping up the steps.

" What was she doing before this happened, where was she?" The Doctor asked quickly, trying to get as much information as he could to pin down a cause. " Tell me, quickly. Think!"

" I can't think! She doesn't leave the house! She was just-" Tommy was interrupted as a man in a suit came in. The Doctor held up a finger.

" Hold on a minute! There are three important, brilliant, and _complicated_ reasons you should listen to me. One-" The Doctor's speech was cut off by getting swiftly punched across the face, falling to the floor, completely unconscious.

" Doctor!" Both Rose and Selene shouted, falling to their knees on either side of them.

" Oh my God!" Rose muttered.

" Leave her alone! You'll hurt her!" Mrs. Connolly called out as the men dragged her mother out of the room, blanket over her head. Mrs. Connolly was then shoved to the bed. She quickly jumped up, racing after them. " Mum! Mum!"

" Hey, hey!" Selene shouted as she jumped to her feet. She carefully squeezed her way past Tommy and his mother, running for the stairs as fast as she could. As the men pulled Gran outside, she jumped the last five steps, landing hard on her feet, causing her to stumble and for the two behind her to catch up. When she tried to push past Mr. Connolly, he barred her way out by blocking the doorway with an arm.

" Let me out!" She yelled at him, yanking on his arm, only earning a shove backwards into the house. She gaped at the older man when she tripped over the carpet and fell on her backside. Tommy reached out to help her up as his mother said,

" Don't hurt her!"

" Back inside, Rita," Mr. Connolly ordered.

" She's my mother!"

" Back inside, now, I said!" He demanded as the elderly woman was put in the same black car as Mr. Gallagher.

Back upstairs, Rose was trying to get the Doctor to wake up. She was leaned over him, patting his cheeks when suddenly he jolted up, nearly banging his head against his.

" Ah! _Hell_ of a right hook!" He yelled out. He sucked in air through his teeth and shook his head. " Have to watch out for that!" He jumped to his feet and bolted down the stairs, Rose at his heels.

Tommy helped Selene stand and she then pushed their way to the door.

" Don't fight it! Back inside!" Mr. Connolly said as Tommy tried to break free from the house and run after the car.

" To Hell with you!" Selene shouted as she pushed her way outside and ran down the steps. The Doctor ran after her, joining her at the scooter, where they pulled on their helmets.

" Rose, come on!" He called out. " Rose, we're gonna loose them again!" When Rose didn't appear, he groaned and jumped back onto the scooter, pulling Selene with him. " Hold on tight!" Selene quickly wrapped her arms around the Doctor's waist as the scooter lurched forward after the car. Her chest was pressed into his back and her hands were clasped together to make sure her hold around his waist stayed.

Once again the Doctor wove around corners with hairpin turns and the scooter tilted and swayed on occasion, but Selene felt more assured she wasn't about to fall off now that she had the Doctor to hold on to. She could feel his chest rise and fall as he breathed and with her nose close to his neck and shoulder, she could once again smell his unique scent; to her it honestly smelled a bit like peppermint, which she happened to love, but she shoved that thought aside once she felt a hot blush spread across her cheeks. She tried not to think about how close to the Doctor she was, which was exceedingly hard seeing as she could feel every muscle he moved.

When the car made a jerky turn down that same alley from earlier in the day, they tried to speed up in order to catch them. This time around, they managed to just catch a glimpse of the car disappearing behind the set of wooden gates and the fruit vendor was back in place, sweeping up the street. The Doctor laughed as they slowed down and he stopped the scooter, using a foot to brace the ground and keep them standing. He stood up slightly, bringing Selene up with him, her arms still around him, as he grinned.

" Oh, very good!" He complimented. " Very good!" He looked back at Selene who smiled at his rather excited expression.

" It's like a spy movie, don't you think?" She commented. " Like when the bad guy or the super spy just disappear into thin air leaving no trace behind them. It's _exactly_ like that."

" Yes, but I'd say that we have the upper hand don't you? So, why don't we go park this thing and have a look around?" He whispered to her, still grinning. She grinned back and nodded, blowing a loose strand of hair from her face as they sat back down, motoring off.

The night air whispered against the skin of the two time travelers as they walked down the street, helmet free, checking for any way in to whatever secret hideout the car continuously disappeared into. The Doctor checked a cold wrought iron fence only to find it locked, and the two kept moving, footsteps light, noting the presumably fake vendors were out of sight now. The Doctor spotted a small, red, metal door in a wall by the wrought iron gates and shuffled over to it, back against the wall as he reached for the Sonic. Selene gave a nod to him and kept watch for anyone as he used the Sonic to open the door. The lock clicked and opened, the Doctor crouching down a bit to walk through the small door. After he disappeared through it, Selene crouched down and walked through as well, shutting the door behind herself.

The duo silently stepped through a small alley and peered through a crack in a set of metal doors. They watched as two men padlocked a wire door and gate before they walked off, unspeaking. The Doctor nodded to the door and Selene nodded before the two bounded across the parking lot like area.

" You're very good at that, you know," The Doctor pointed out in a whisper as they stopped at the door, noting a caged off area where a group of faceless people stood.

" Hm?" Selene asked as the Sonic pulsed and the door unlocked.

" Walking quietly; especially in those shoes, seeing as they usually click a bit. You've been silent as the grave." She laughed quietly as they continued to walk silently as they whispered their conversation.

" One word: theatre. When you have to walk around back stage and not be seen or heard, you become well versed in stealth," She joked before going serious again as they approached the containment unit for the faceless people. The Doctor opened the door and swung it open, slowly pulling out a flashlight, noting Selene carefully inched to his side as they looked around. Carefully, they stepped inside, shining the light on the people in front of them. No faces. Just like Tommy's Gran. Their fingers would suddenly clench into fists before slowly and stiffly uncurling with creaking noises.

" I can grow to deal with no faces…" Selene whispered as they looked around, eyes directed at their hands. " But the hands I _cannot_ deal with… it's _really_ freaky…"

Slowly, ever so slowly, they all turned to face the two, shuffling towards them with heavy feet. Selene couldn't help herself as she snatched up the Doctor's hand as they backed up. He squeezed her hand reassuringly and just as their backs hit the thin metal grating of the cage a set of bright lights switched on behind them. They both squinted and turned their heads to look behind them. The men from before were back, and the car headlights were turned on. They were just silhouettes against the light, but they seemed fairly intimidating.

" Stay where you are."

OOOO

Rose, having found a lead on the back of the Connolly's television, found herself walking through the door of Magpie Electronics. The man who had been delivering televisions earlier that day stood behind the front desk, looking surprised to see her.

" Oh, I-I'm sorry, Miss. I'm afraid you're too late. I was just about to lock the door," Magpie told her. Rose smiled as she shut the door behind her.

" Yeah? Well, I want to buy a telly," She told him.

" Come back tomorrow… please," Magpie almost begged as he continued to fiddle with a device on the countertop. Rose arched a brow as she scratched the back of her head.

" You'll be closed, won't you?"

" What?"

" For the big day? The Coronation."

" Yes, yes, of course, the big day." He glanced up at her as she walked over to him with long, confident steps. " I'm sure you'll find somewhere to watch it. Please go."

" Seems to me half of London's got a television… since you're practically giving them away," Rose pointed out, leaning against the front counter with her hands. She looked at the wall of televisions, and Magpie directed his eyes down.

" I have my reasons."

" And what are they?" Rose leaned forward curiously. As he met her eyes a burst of static and feedback echoed through the store, causing them to look at one of the televisions, which had static flickering across the screen. Suddenly, the face of a woman appeared. The Wire. Magpie felt dread wash through him.

" _Hungry… Hungry!_" The Wire complained in a drawn out voice.

" What's that?" Rose asked.

" It's just a television. One of these… modern programs," Magpie lied with a nervous smile. " Now, I really do think that you should leave, _right now_!" He rushed to the door nervously, voice shaking.

" Not until you've answered my questions," Rose told him with a serious voice, not buying anything he'd been telling her. " How come your televisions are so cheap?"

" It's… my patriotic duty. Seems only right that as many folk as possible get to watch the Coronation. We _may_ be loosing the empire, but we can still be proud! Twenty million people they reckon'll be watching. Imagine that. And twenty million people cant' be wrong, eh? So, why don't you go back home and get up bright and early for the big day?" He grinned and put a hand on the doorknob, hoping she would finally leave. But, having no such luck, Rose shook her head.

" Nah, I'm not leaving till I've seen everything."

" I need to close…"

" Mr. Magpie, something's happening out there. Ordinary people are being struck down and changed, and the only new thing in the house is a television… _Your_ television. What's going on?"

" I knew this would happen…" He muttered, face falling grim. " I knew I'd be found out…" Rose watched in confusion as he locked the door. She fidgeted nervously with her skirt, nodding slight.

" A-alright then, just you and me… You gonna come clean then? What's really in it for you?"

" For _me?_ Perhaps some peace."

" From what?"

" From _her_," Magpie muttered, eyeing the woman on the television. Rose looked over to the screen, being directly lined up with it.

" That's just a woman on the telly. That's just a program," She told Magpie in a quiet voice, slowly beginning to wonder if this man was going crazy.

" _What a pretty little girl,_" Said the Wire. Rose's eyes widened as she directed her attention back to the woman.

" Oh my God, are you talking to me?"

" _Yes, I'm talking to you, little one. Unseasonably chilly for the time of year, don't you think?_" The Wire asked.

" What are you?"

" _I'm the Wire. And I'm hungryyyyy!_" The woman's face scrunched up as she dragged out the y.

Just then, cables of red electricity shot out from the screen, attaching to Rose's head, her face slowly being sucked towards the television.

" Magpie! Help me!" Rose begged.

" Just think of that audience tomorrow, my dear… All settling down to watch the Coronation. Twenty million people. Things will never be the same again," He said softly and sadly. " I'm sorry… so sorry."

" Help me!"

The Wire smiled.

" _Goodnight, children. Everywhere._"

OOOO

" Start from the beginning, tell me everything you know," Said a rather severe and thin looking man, standing behind a desk. He had shed his jacket and had, wearing a loosened tie and a set of suspenders over a white button down shirt.

They were in an abandoned warehouse that seemed to be the 'base of operations' for who ever these people were. There was a map on the far end of the room, files on the desk, and the whole place was horribly dilapidated. The windows were smashed and dangerously jagged pieces of glass were still stuck in the frames, and the ceiling wasn't in much better condition. The desk lamp was turned towards the Doctor and Selene, who sat in two desk chairs in front of him, the light hitting their faces perfectly. They merely stared up at him. Selene had her arms and legs crossed and the Doctor had an eyebrow arched. He sucked in a breath.

" Well… for starters… I know… you can't wrap your hand 'round your elbow and make your fingers meet," The Doctor said, looking thoughtful. The man never specified _what_ to tell him; he just said 'everything you know,' and for the Doctor, that just so happened to be _a lot_. Selene suppressed a smile but let out a snort of laughter

" Don't get clever with me!" The man snapped, jabbing a finger at the Doctor.

" Well, you never told us what to tell you. You just said what we know, and he knows that it isn't possible," Selene supplied casually. The man pointed at her.

" Same for you, Missy! You were both there today at Florizel Street, and _now_ breaking into this establishment." Selene couldn't focus on what he was saying as she saw the man who stood behind him was now trying to wrap his fingers around his elbow to test what the Doctor said. She snickered silently and tried to focus again. " Now, you're both connected with this- make no mistake."

" Well… the _thing is_… Detective Inspector Bishop-" The Doctor began but was swiftly cut off.

" How do you know my name?" The man behind the desk asked. The Doctor's brows rose and his eyes widened a bit.

" It's…" His eyes flickered to the man's collar. " Written inside your collar," He said matter-of-factly. Selene finally let out a laugh before Bishop's glare at her shut her up. He fixed his tie so his collar wasn't open that much at the top any more. " Bless your Mum._ But_ I can't help thinking… Detective Inspector, you're not doing much detective inspecting… are you?"

" I'm doing everything in my power!" Bishop responded.

" All you're doing is _grabbing_ those faceless people and hiding them as fast as you can!" He smirked and swiveled the office chair to lean his head back to look at Selene. " Don't tell us…"

" It's orders from above, isn't it?" Selene finished with a grin. " You know, tomorrow's Coronation day… everyone will turn their attention to London Town, and we can't have faceless people running-a-muck can we?" She raised her eyebrows as she stretched out her arms, which had grown stiff.

" The nation has an image to maintain!"

" But doesn't it _drive you mad_ doing nothing?" The Doctor questioned, a curious tone to his voice as he scrunched his face up. " Don't you want to… get out there and investigate?"

" You know, go all Sherlock Holmes on the situation, do some real, legitimate investigating?" Selene asked her curiosity also piqued. She was beginning to notice that her head, while it no longer hurt from getting bashed around in a car crash, was still fuzzy on details; she could remember big picture ideas, but she couldn't get the small bits in place. Those just liked to hum about in her head and give her feelings about situations… if she was lucky. Right now, she was pretty much blind on the situation, besides knowing that Rose would be there soon…

" 'Course I do. _But…_" He slowly sat. " With all the crowds expected, we haven't got the manpower. Even if we did… This is… beyond anything we've ever seen. I just don't know anymore…" Bishop sounded defeated and tired. Almost ready to give up. Selene and the Doctor exchanged an almost worried look. When Bishop leaned on the desk, in unison the duo did as well, the Doctor tightly crossing his arms. " Twenty years on the force, and I have no idea where to start. We haven't the faintest clue what's going on."

" Well… that could change," The Doctor informed him.

" How?" The Doctor and Selene stood, looking down at him, mirroring their situation from only a moment ago as Selene said,

" Start from the beginning. Tell us everything you know." Her face was dead serious and calm, but a kind look still resided in her eyes, making her seem tough and trust worthy at the same time… because she was. There was a moment of silence as he stared at Selene, debating what to do, but Bishop then stood and walked towards the map. The Doctor looked over at Selene and smirked a bit.

" Nice going," He commented. She grinned at him.

" Watched a lot of cop shows back at home, knew they'd come in handy one day," Selene teased as they followed the DI towards the map. The Doctor pulled on his glasses and peered at the map and the areas pinned down.

" We started finding them a month ago. Persons left sans visage, heads just… blank," Bishop told them.

" Is there any sort of pattern?" The Doctor questioned as he turned to the desk, looking at case files and pictures.

" Yes, spreading out from Northern London, all over the city- men, women, kids, grannies. The only real lead is, there's been quite a large number in-"

"Florizel Street," The Doctor and Selene said together as Selene moved over to look at the map a bit closer.

A knock sounded on the door. When it opened a man said,

" Found another one, sir." They all looked up and Selene felt her heart plummet. A man stood there with a person who was covered in a blue wool blanket, pink skirt visible, hands clenched.

" Good man, Crabtree. Here we are, Doctor. Take a good look, see what you can deduce," Bishop said as the trio slowly made their way towards the blanketed figure. The man pulled off the blanket swiftly, revealing a faceless Rose.

" Rose," The Doctor immediately said, voice quiet and broken. His face was scrunched slightly in shock and horror as he stared at her. Selene's face almost mirrored his perfectly as she shakily took a few more steps towards her friend.

" Do you know her?"

" Know her? She…" The Doctor trailed off as he stood directly in front of the blond woman, Selene just off to the side, biting her thumbnail. She could see the pain and love in the Doctor's eyes as he looked Rose over. Once more, she reminded herself _this_ was why she couldn't be falling for the Doctor. He would always love Rose no matter what, it was what she had to now fully except as reality. But another thing that hit her at that moment was how horrifying this all really was now that she truly knew the Doctor and Rose; she knew so much about them, and they were family to her, and they felt the same way towards Selene. She could barely look at Rose in the state she was in.

" They found her in the street, apparently, over at Leicester Square, abandoned," Said Crabtree, but his words seemed muted to the Doctor and Selene, the fear for their friend pounding in their ears.

" That's unusual, that's the first one out in the open. Heaven help us if something happens in public tomorrow for the big day. We'll have Torchwood on our backs then, no mistake," Said Bishop. Crabtree's words finally registered in his mind

" They did what?" The Doctor asked, a quiet and slow fury creeping into his voice.

" I'm sorry?"

" They left here where?"

" Just… in the street," Bishop replied.

" In the street… they just _left her_ in the street… they _took her face _and just chucked her out and left her in the street… And as a result that makes things… _simple_, very, very simple… Do you know why?" The Doctor asked as he turned, pulling off his glasses.

" No."

" Because _now_, Detective Inspector Bishop, There is no power on _Earth_ that can stop me! Come on!" He shouted, snatching Selene's hand as he ran out of the room. Selene stumbled down the steps as the Doctor continued to pull her with him, anger evident in his face as he Converse clad feet pounded down the stairs.

" Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Selene said as the heels of her shoes skidded against the edges of the steps, almost falling a few times. Outside, the night was over and the sun shone. The Doctor's grip on Selene's hand hadn't loosened. In his mind he was trying to sort out whether it was because he needed the comfort of knowing someone was there, or if it was to make sure he wasn't about to loose her too. Then something in his Time Lord brain clicked and he realized it was both. Once joined by Detective Inspector Bishop, they left through the metal gates and looked out at the street.

" The big day dawns," Said Bishop. The Doctor began to walk off, Selene still holding his hand, and Bishop followed. " Where do we go first?"

" There's someone we know who could tell us what's going on," Selene said.

" Who?"  
" A boy by the name of Tommy Connolly." They all made their way to their modes of transportation and Selene put a hand on the Doctor's shoulder. He looked over at her, face still stern.

" We're going to get her back, I promise," She told him softly, offering a caring smile. He nodded once and got on the scooter, starting it back up.  
Once back on Florizel Street, car and scooter parked, they swiftly made their way towards the Connolly house. The Doctor rang the doorbell and they patiently waited for it to open. When it did, Tommy stood there, staring at the Doctor and Selene and Bishop in surprise.

" Tommy, talk to us." Tommy stepped outside, beginning to shut the door. " We need to know exactly what happened inside your house." The door was yanked open and Tommy stepped to the side as his father burst out.

" What in _blazes _do you think you're doing!?" Mr. Connolly said in a whispered shout.

" I want to help, Dad," Tommy told him.

" _Mr. Connolly,_" The Doctor said sternly. He stepped forward, glaring the Doctor.

" Shut your face, you, _whoever you are!_ We can handle this ourselves!" He spun on his heel to face Tommy. " Listen, you little twerp. You're hardly out of the blooming cradle, so I don't expect you to understand, but I've got a position to maintain! People 'round here respect me! It matters what people think!" Selene's jaw clenched as Mr. Connolly practically shouted at his son, who stayed quiet before finally saying,

" Is that why do did it, Dad?" A surprised look came over Mr. Connolly's face.

" What do you mean? Did what?"

" _You_ ratted on Gran. How else would the police know where to look? Unless some _coward_ told them!" Tommy said, an upset bite coming into his voice.

" _How dare you!_" Mr. Connolly growled, backing Tommy up against the wall. Selene took one step forward, ready to yank him away from Tommy if the situation were to call for it. " You think I fought a war just so a mouthy little _scum_ like you could _call me a coward!?_" Tommy held his ground despite the shouting.

" You don't get it do you? You fought _against_ fascism, remember- people telling you how to live, who you could be friends with, who you could fall in love with, who could live and who had to die. Don't you get it? You were fighting so that little twerps like me could do what we want, say what we want. Now, you've become just like them. You've been informing on everyone, haven't you? Even Gran. All to protect your precious reputation!" Tommy said, finally voicing his long held-back opinions. Selene smiled proudly at him, glad he'd finally taken a stand.

" Eddie…" Mrs. Connolly said quietly as she came to the door. They all looked at her. " Is that true?" She had a hurt look on her face as realization hit her.

" I did it for us, Rita! She was _filthy!_ A _filthy disgusting thing!_" Mr. Connolly shouted, sounding like a little child throwing a fit.

" She's my mother." Her voice was broken as she stared at her husband. " All the others- you informed on all the people on the street, our friends."  
" I had to." He looked around at everyone. " I… I did the right thing!"

" The right thing for _us_ or for _you_, Eddie?" She turned to her son. " You go, Tommy. Go with the Doctor and Selene and do some good. Get away from this house. It's _poison._ We had a ruddy monster under our roof, all right, but it weren't my mother!" And with that the door was slammed in Mr. Connolly's face.

" Rita!" He called out.

" Tommy," Selene said softly, extending and arm and hand. Slowly he turned his gaze away from his father and walked over to her, letting her wrap a comforting arm around his shoulders, rubbing his arm.

The street was filled with playing children and adults setting up tables to create one long one down the length of the street, getting ready for the celebration. The Doctor, Selene, Tommy and Bishop made their way down the street, hoping they'd fix everything in time.

" Tommy, tell me about that night, the night she changed," The Doctor said. Tommy stood in between the Doctor and Selene, hands in his pockets.

" She was just watching telly," Tommy explained.

" Rose said it." The Doctor looked up at all the roofs. " She guessed it straightaway, of course she did. All these aerials in one little street- how come!?"

" Bloke up the street, Mr. Magpie, he's selling them cheap," Tommy told the trio. The Doctor immediately took off running, Selene at his heels.

" Come on!" He called over his shoulder.

OOOO

Once they bolted up the street to Magpie Electricals, the shade was drawn, signaling that the shop was closed. Not taking that as a way to stop him, the Doctor broke the pane of glass, sticking his hand through to grab the doorknob and unlock the door.

" Here, you can't do that!" Bishop told him.

" With all do respect, Detective Inspector, when he's upset he won't listen to reason," Selene said. " And honestly, neither do I." The Doctor rushed inside and shouted,

" _Sir!_" He marched to the front counter and continuously hit the call bell. " If you're here come out and talk to me! _MAGPIE!_"

" Maybe he's out," Tommy suggested.

" It seems that way, which is horribly inconvenient," Selene said as she approached the counter that the Doctor went around, rifling through drawers before something caught his eye.

" Oh, hello, this isn't right," He muttered. " This is very much not right." He held what seemed to be a portable television with a strap. Selene couldn't help but snicker as the Doctor lifted it… and licked it. He paused before saying, " Tastes like iron. Bakelite. Knocked together with human hands, yes," He dropped it on the counter, " But the design itself…" He pulled out the Sonic and scanned it. " Oh, _beautiful_ work. That is so simple!"

" That's incredible," Bishop added in. " It's like a television but portable! A portable television!"

The Doctor slowly raised the Sonic and all the televisions in the room switched on, fading in through static.

" It's not the only power source in this room…" He muttered. On all the screens were faces. The faces of the people who'd been attacked by the wire. They all stared around in shock. They were mouthing words, but no sound came out. Tommy's eyes went wide when he spotted his Gran's face.

" Gran?" He asked. The Doctor's eyes suddenly snapped to Rose's familiar face… and she looked scared. She was mouthing the word 'Doctor'. He crouched down by the screen and looked at her face sadly.

" I'm on my way…" He murmured.

Suddenly Magpie burst in from the back, through a set of beads hanging from the doorway.

" What do you think you're doing?" He asked. The Doctor's head snapped towards him, face slowly contorting in anger.

" I want my friend restored!" In told Magpie as he rushed over to the shorter man, towering over him. " And I think that's beyond a little backstreet electrician. So, tell, me, who's _really _ in charge here?"

" _Yoo-hoo! I think that must be me,_" The Wire said from one of the television. Everyone diverted their eyes to the screen. " _Oh! This one's smart as paint!_" She said as the Doctor walked over.

" Is she talking to us?" Bishop inquired.

" I'm sorry, gentlemen, miss. I'm- I'm afraid you've brought this on yourselves. May I introduce you to my new… friend," Magpie stuttered.

" _Jolly nice to meet you._"

" Oh my God, it's her! That woman off the telly!" Bishop exclaimed in shock.

" No, whatever it is, it's only using her image. It's probably more convenient," Selene supplied before the Doctor could say anything.

" _Clever girl, aren't you?_" Asked the Wire, smirking. Selene shot the woman on the screen a look.

" What? What are you?" Tommy asked, sounding a bit confused and intrigued.

" _I'm the Wire. And I will gobble you up, pretty boy. Every last morsel._" Suddenly the screen shifted into color; the woman's lips were red, her dress was greenish blue and her hair was a deep brown. " _And when I have feasted, I shall regain the corporeal body, which my fellow kind denied me._"

" Good Lord! Color television!" Bishop was in absolute shock, staring wide-eyed at the screen. Selene pat his shoulder as she moved to stand to the Doctor's right.

" So, your own people tried to stop you?" The Doctor asked, eyes trained on the screen, hell-bent on figuring out what was going on.

" _They executed me. But I escaped in this form and fled across the stars,_" The Wire replied.

" And now you're trapped in the television," He said as the color faded back to black and white.

" _Not for much longer._"

" Doctor, is this what got my Gran?"

" Yes, Tommy. It feeds of the electrical activity of the brain, but it _gorges_ itself like a great overfed _pig_, taking peoples faces, their essences. It stuffs itself," The Doctor explained as the woman on the screen smiled.

" And you let her do it, Magpie," Bishop said.

" I had to. She allowed me my face," Magpie said, finally speaking with some sort of confidence. " She's promised to release me at the time of manifestation."

" What does _that_ mean?" Tommy questioned.

" _The appointed time, my __crowning__ glory?_"

" The Coronation," Selene pointed out quickly.

" For the first time in history, _millions_ gathered 'round a television set." A smirk suddenly appeared on the Doctor's lips as he strode forward to the television. " But you're not strong enough yet, are you? You can't do it all from here." He grinned, backing away from the screen. " That's why you need _this!_" He held up the portable television. " You need something more powerful. This will turn a big transmitter into a big _receiver_."

" _What a __clever__ thing you are,_" The Wire said, voice laced slightly with sarcasm. " _But why fret about it? Why not just relax, kick off your shoes and enjoy the Coronation? Believe me- you'll be __glued__ to the screen_."

Once again, the red arcs of energy attached to all of their faces, and as they all yelled out, the Wire again said,

" _Hungry! Hungry! The Wire is hungry! Ah, this one is tasty! Oh, I'll have lashings of him! Delicious! Ah!_" The Doctor was slowly inching the Sonic up, attempting to turn it on. This caught the Wire's attention. " _Armed! He's armed and clever! Withdraw! Withdraw!_" The electricity arcs disappeared and they all collapsed to the floor. " _The box, Magpie! The box!_"

Magpie ran forward and snatched it from the Doctor's hands as he noticed Bishop's face was now gone.

" _Hold tight!_" In one arc of energy, the Wire was now in the portable television, held in Magpie's hands. " _Conduct me to my victory, Magpie._" He ran from the shop, slamming the door behind him.

The Doctor sat up suddenly, shaking his head as he looked around. Bishop, now faceless, was clenching and unclenching his hands, Tommy seemed to be passed out, and Selene had fallen face down on the floor. The Doctor shook Tommy's foot.

" Tommy, wake up. Tommy! Come on!" He called. Tommy jumped awake, sitting up as the Doctor put away the Sonic.

" What happened?" Tommy muttered. The Doctor, noting that Selene had still yet to move, he got on his knees and leaned over to shake her shoulder.

" Selene, are you alright?" He asked with worry. No response. Her back was stiff, as were her arms, and she didn't seem to be moving much. " Selene?" He once more received no response. He took her shoulders and rolled her over onto her back. He felt his hearts freeze and his blood run cold at what he saw.

Selene was faceless. Her body was completely stiff and her hands were slowly unclenching then clenching again.

The Doctor was furious. Selene was gone now too. First Rose, now Selene. This was getting far too personal for him now. As he gently let her rest on the floor again, it finally seemed to hit him how genuinely important she was. She was destined to be great, to save the world, to be brilliant, to travel with him in the TARDIS for however long she wanted. And he wasn't about to have all those future adventures robbed from not only her, but himself as well. He stood as pure anger coursed through his veins.

" Where's Magpie?" He asked. He bolted out the front door, Tommy quickly following after staring at Selene a moment.

" We don't even know where to start looking," Tommy mentioned with worry. " It's too late."

" It's never too late, as a wise person once said. Kylie, I think… The Wire's got _big _plans, it'll need- oh, yes, yes, yes, it's going to harvest half the population, millions and millions of people and-" He froze as he looked around. " Where are we?"

" Muswell Hill."

" Muswell Hill… Muswell Hill!" He exclaimed, rushing over to Tommy. " Which means-" He looked in front of him and at a large building. He grinned. " Alexandra Palace! Biggest TV transmitter in North London! Oh! That's why it chose this place! Tommy!" He ran back towards the door to the electronics shop.

" What are you going to do?"

" We're going shopping!"

The Doctor forced himself to ignore his friends laying on the floor and sifted through boxes, trying to find what he needed. He quickly rattled off things he needed to Tommy, who became a great help as he began to sift through drawers of parts. He found something and held it up.

" This what you need?" The Doctor's eyes widened and he set aside his box as he ran over, taking it from his hands.

" Perfect! Right, I need one more thing," He exclaimed, picking up a collection of parts before handing it to Tommy, running out of the shop again.

They made it back to where the TARDIS was parked, and the Doctor bolted inside, snatching up and puling on his tan trench coat, draped a wire around his neck and another part for his device before exiting again.

" Got it, lets go!"

OOOO

As they ran through the streets, the Doctor was doing the difficult task of putting the parts together as they ran, Sonic held between his lips as they tried to make it to Alexandra Palace as fast as they could. Tommy was doing exceedingly well at balancing the pile of heavy parts, not dropping one of them. Just as they rounded the corner to Alexandra Palace, the Doctor finished putting everything together.

" There!" Tommy shouted, pointing to the figure of Magpie, who was climbing up the transmitter mast.

" Come on!" The Doctor insisted as they began to run again. They ran towards a security guard, who looked at them surprised.

" Whoa, whoa, whoa, where do you think we're-" He was cut off when the Doctor readily held out the Psychic Paper out to him, turning as he ran so the man could read it. " Oh! I'm very sorry, Sir! Shouldn't you be at the Coronation?"

" They're saving me a seat!" The Doctor called back as he and Tommy disappeared around the corner.

" Who did they think you were?" Tommy asked curiously. The Doctor looked at the Psychic Paper.

" King of Belgium, apparently!"

The two skidded into a control room, and the Doctor sprung around, connecting things and then running to grab a reel of copper wire.

" Keep it switched on! Don't let anyone stop you, Tommy! Everything depends on it, you understand?" He instructed as he slung the strap of the reel across his chest before running from the room again. As he ran, the wire trailed out behind him, making a sort of trail. As he sprinted past the security guard again and up the stairs to the transmitter mast, the man called out,

" You'll get yourself killed up there! Your majesty!"

The Doctor didn't have time to waste as he reached the top of the stairs and the bottom of the mast. Magpie was almost to the top, and the Doctor began to climb swiftly, the tails of his coat blowing out behind him. The metal of the transmitter mast was cool from the wind and warm in some spots from the sun. When the Doctor had finally reached the top, Magpie had already plugged the Wire in, and now arcs of red electricity were connecting to each TV aerial. Inside their homes, people were slowly getting their faces pulled in towards the screen, a sense of mass terror and confusion hitting them all.

The Wire was cackling with laughter.

" _Oh, feasting! Feasting!_" It said. " _The Wire is feasting!_"

" It's too late! It's too late for all of us!" Magpie called out to the Doctor in despair.

" _I shall consume you… Doctor!_" The Wire spat, a burst of energy hitting the Time Lord, causing his footing to slip momentarily, his feet swinging around to get a foothold again.

" I won't let you do this, Magpie!" The Doctor called up to him, finally regaining his footholds and climbing up more.

" Help me, Doctor! It burns!" Magpie groaned, his face contorted in pain as he gripped onto the mast. " It took my face! My soul!"

" _You cannot stop the Wire. Soon, I shall become manifest._"

The Doctor yelled out as he got shocked again and Magpie shook his head in denial.

" No more! No more of this! You promised me peace!" He called out.

" _And peace you shall have,_" The Wire said with a smile. Magpie yelled out as he was zapped with energy, bursting into nothing. His struggle was over. The Wire laughed evilly as the Doctor tried to grab the portable television, only to be shocked again.

" Ah!" He yelled out, shaking his hand. " Been burning the candle at both ends?" The Doctor asked loudly over the sound of zapping and wind. " You've over extended yourself, Missus. You shouldn't have had a crack at poor old Magpie there." He snatched up the portable television and groaned as more electricity zapped his feet. As the Wire continued to laugh the Doctor said, " Rubber soles! Swear by 'em!"

He connected a plug to the portable television and… nothing happened.

" _Oh, dear. Has our little plan gone horribly wrong, Doctor?_" The Wire teased as it laughed evilly. The Doctor looked around.

_No… no it has to work! Come on, Tommy!_ The Doctor thought as he felt panic begin to rise in his throat. Suddenly, something sparked and all the electricity slipped back from the TV aerials.

" _No!_" The Wire shouted in defeat. The Doctor grinned.

" It's closed down, I'm afraid! And no epilogue!" The Wire screamed and suddenly the screen shut off, turning the shout of despair into a sustained tone. The Doctor blew out a breath and could only hope that everything was back to normal.

After climbing down and calmly walking back to the control room, he leaned in the doorway. Tommy was staring at the screens as 'God Save The Queen' played.

" What've I missed?"

" Doctor!" Tommy spun around, smiling. " What happened?"

" Sorted," He said simply. " Electrical creature, TV technology, clever alien-lifeform… that's me by the way." The Doctor smirked. " I turned the receiver back into a transmitter and I trapped the wire in here." He put a hand on the device he'd made. He popped it open and pulled out a VCR tape. " I just invented the home video, thirty years early." He smiled at the tape then it fell as he said. " Betamax. Oh, look! God save the Queen, eh?"

They looked at the screens, where Queen Elizabeth the Second stood on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, waving with a smile on her face.

In Magpie Electricals, Selene's eyes shot open and with a gasp, she shot up into a sitting position. Her hands flew to her face as she felt her cheeks, nose and lips. She grinned and let out a breath of relief. She remembered the feeling of just… disappearing. Everything went black and nothing really had a sense anymore: no sense of touch, sound, sight or even time. It felt like moments ago, but it also felt like ages.

" He did it," She said to herself as she shakily stood up, sweeping a stray strand of hair back from her face. Bishop slowly stood, looking around in shock. She grinned at him as he smiled when he realized it was all over. Him being the only person there, she pulled him into a hug, and was surprised when he returned it. When she pulled back she sighed in relief again.

" Looks like it's over," Bishop said, straightening out his coat. Selene grinned as she made her way towards the door.

" The Doctor saved us again."

Just before Florizel Street, the group of once faceless people held by Bishop and his men, were gathered. Tommy took off running to embrace his Gran, who looked incredibly relieved to see him. The Doctor's eyes landed on a familiar face. Rose. She slowly grinned at him as he grinned back, speeding up his stride. When they met halfway, they pulled each other into a hug, grinning and laughing as they squeezed each other tightly. Rose couldn't explain how happy she was that she was back; being trapped for that long was one of the scariest things to ever happen to her. The Doctor knew that Rose was okay once again, and he had a feeling that Selene was as well.

" Oh, it's so good to have you back," The Doctor told her as they pulled back.

" It's great to be back!" Rose replied, grinning. She looked around, smile falling when she noticed that they were without one person. " Where's… where's Selene?"

" She had her face… sucked off as well, in Magpie's shop. She should have come 'round by now, I hope she's alright…" The Doctor trailed off as they didn't see her in any of the crowds heading to or from Florizel Street.

Selene rounded the corner and spotted Rose and the Doctor. She smiled as she walked closer, neither of them noticing her yet.

" You don't think she could've… gotten lost or gotten too scared and left, do you?" Rose asked.

" Oh, you are _not_ getting rid of me _that_ easily!" Selene said as she stopped a good seven feet away. Both spun around to face her, relief washing over their faces. She grinned and laughed as the Doctor rushed forward and pulled her into a hug, lifting her off the ground.

" You scared me," He muttered as she hugged back tightly, grinning into his shoulder.

" I didn't plan on getting my face sucked off. But I promise not to let it happen again, alright?" She teased as he set her back on the ground. He laughed.

" Good, I'll hold you to that."

" Thank God you're okay!" Selene said, turning to Rose, giving her a long, tight hug as well. " I was so worried about you! I thought I might have to endure the Doctor's long lectures alone!" The Doctor glared playfully as Rose burst out laughing.

" You knew I was going to be okay though," Rose pointed out.

" Ever so true. Hey, let's go do something fun; once in a life time chance, am I right?" Selene gestured to the small neighborhood crowds. Grinning, they all walked back to Florizel Street, explaining to each other what parts of the story they didn't hear and put it all together. They then watched as people sang, danced, laughed, ate, drank and had a good time in celebration of the Queen.

" We could go down the Mall, join in with the crowds," Rose suggested.

" Nah! That's just pomp and circumstance!" The Doctor disagreed, grabbing a pastry from the table. " _This_ is history, right here."

" The Domestic Approach," Rose and Selene said in unison, grinning.

" Exactly!" The Doctor said through a mouthful of food. They all laughed as they watched everyone again.

" Will it… that thing, is it trapped for good on video?" Rose asked, sounding a tad worried. Who could blame her? The thing had taken her face.

" Hope so. Just to be on the safe side, I'll use my unrivaled knowledge of transtemporal extirpation methods to neutralize the residual electronic pattern.

" You what?" Rose asked.

" I'm going to tape over it," He simplified, earning a laugh from everyone.

" Just leave it to me I'm always doing that!"

Leaning against a table by Tommy the Doctor grinned.

" Tell you what, Tommy, you can have the scooter, little present. Best, um… keep it in the garage for a few years though, eh?" He told the boy, smiling. Tommy barely registered the comment as he watched his father leave his house, suitcase in hand.

" Good riddance," He said, nodding to him. They all looked.

" Is that it, then, Tommy? New monarch, new age, new world- no room for a man like Eddie Connolly."

" That's right. He deserves it," He said with a nod.

" Tommy, go after him," Rose said, nudging him. Tommy looked over at her confused.

" What for?"

" He's your Dad."

" He's an idiot."

" Of course he is, and also an ass, excuse my language, forget I said that," Selene said with a smirk as Tommy smiled at her. " But I'll have you know you are one of the smartest people I've ever met. You saved the world, and don't you _dare_ stop there." She grinned at him. " Go." She gave him a kiss on the cheek before nodding after Mr. Connolly. Tommy turned away and ran after his father, catching pace with him. Then, after a moment, he took his suitcase.

As the father-son duo rounded a corner, the Doctor picked up two glasses of orange liquid and handed them to his two companions, who smiled as he picked up a third. They all clinked their glasses together in a silent toast before sipping at their drinks, smiling.

They stayed into the evening, celebrating with the neighborhood, and when it came time to go, they made their way laughing towards the TARDIS.

" I didn't know you could dance so well!" The Doctor commented to Selene with a grin. She laughed and blushed, shaking her head.

" I learn quickly. Besides, I watch way to many musicals and been in my fair share," She explained as Rose rolled her eyes at her when she disappeared inside the TARDIS.

" Hey, Selene, could I talk to you?" The Doctor asked just before she was about to follow Rose. She turned and looked at him, looking a tad confused.

" Um, sure, of course." She shut the door with a creak. " What's up?" She asked, walking back over to him. He put his hands in his pockets and gathered his thoughts a moment, a serious look coming back over his face.

" Well, over the past few trips we've taken, I've noticed that… despite the constant dangers, you always try to keep calm, usually successfully. You're always ready for more, even though you've almost died on more than one occasion, like today," He said, like he was trying to get to a very important point, but couldn't figure out how to get there. Selene's brow furrowed as she suddenly became a little worried. Was he trying to tell her he was going to bring her back to this reality's version of Boston? That she wasn't going to travel with him any more?

" So, um… I've got something for you," The Doctor finally said after a tense pause. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key. A TARDIS key. " A key to the TARDIS. Consider yourself an honorary companion, a true one. A permanent one." He grinned, eyes glittering as he held it out to her. " What do you say? Keep traveling with me?"

A shocked look overcame her face as she took the key from his palm. She looked up at him and grinned, nodding.

" Yes! Oh my God, thank you! This is… amazing!" She flung her arms around his neck in a tight hug as he laughed and spun her around for a moment. Selene felt her eyes brimming with happy tears, which spilled onto the shoulder of his coat, turning the tan wool a bit darker brown. When he finally set her back onto the ground, she stared at the key in her hand and wiped at her cheeks with a grin. The Doctor, with one last smile to her, went back into the TARDIS to give her a moment.

Selene clenched the key in her hand as the metal warmed against her skin. She turned to fully face the TARDIS with a confident smile and placed a hand against the blue wood. She opened the door, which sounded a familiar squeak and stepped inside, shutting the door.

_The TARDIS_, she thought. _My home._

_**Afterword: EH! MY GOD! Sorry about the wait! I had dress rehearsals from hell for a while plus papers and tests and quizzes and it was all so horrible for a few weeks! But I finally finished this and I'm in love with the episode! It was THE VERY FIRST Doctor Who episode I'd ever seen, so it holds a very important spot in my heart =) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it!**_

_**REVIEW REPLIES!**_

**grapejuice101:**_ I hope this chapter appeased your tears! I hated to see Mickey go! ='( I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks again!_

**notwritten:**_ I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks again for the review!_

**TheMagentaColor:**_ Tom Hiddleston is just amazing… I cannot explain how much I want to write a Loki/OC story. I've got the ideas, I just have to write it out… ahaha XD As for them falling for each other, Selene is clearly falling for him, but the Doctor's staring to realize how much he cares for her. I really hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!_

**sashaxh:**_ I haven't heard of any Mickey/OC stories, but it would be really interesting to read one! Now I wanna go search for one…_

**dirtyconfessions:**_ Ohhhh Rickey XD Yeah, the bromance at the end is pretty awesome! I hate it when Mickey leaves =( And school is definitely a bitch… especially for me lately. But I hope you enjoyed the story! Thanks again!_

**Whyna Katran:**_ I'm glad you like it! And I am so happy that when you rewatched The Girl In The Fireplace you could almost see Selene! That makes me really happy! =D Thanks again!_

**And thanks to those who have read and added this to their story alerts/favorites. It means so much! Thank you!**

_**Anyway, that's it for this chap! I hope to get the next one up in a decent amount of time. It's another one of those 'to be continued episodes' ;) Anyway, review to let me know if you liked it! Thanks again!**_

_**~Mary**_


	7. The Impossible Planet

_Disclaimer:__ I do not own Doctor Who (the show, including planets, aliens, creatures and anything else of their design) or any of the characters. I only own my OC Selene._

7. The Impossible Planet

" The TARDIS sounds a bit… off, don't you think?" Selene inquired from her spot leaning against the console. It had been a relatively normal day thus far, but the groaning sounds the TARDIS was making in place of the normal vworping sound were becoming a cause for concern.

Rose looked up at the console as she straightened her bright pink jacket, brows beginning to crease.

" Just a bit…" She trailed off.

" I don't know what's wrong, everything seems normal…" The Doctor muttered, concern leaking into his voice as he began to check switches, flicking one every once and a while to see if it would stop the noises that almost made his beloved time machine seem… _sick_. He would mutter some scientific words every now and then, which were completely lost on his two companions, who moved to stand at the railings. " Well, we're landing… Or, we're _trying_ to land." The Doctor's forehead was still creased with concern as the wheezing and now sparking sounds of the TARDIS echoed around them.

" Maybe we're just in a tough spot?" Selene suggested, adjusting her multi-colored sweater, concern leaking into her mind as well. He made a noise of possible agreement and then sighed again.

" Well, let's at least see where we've landed, it couldn't be _that_ bad," Rose said with a tiny laugh. With a final resounding boom that told them that they had landed, the Doctor immediately ran to the door, pulling it open.

" I don't know what's wrong with her…" He mused, stepping out and pressing his back to the side of the door. Hone of them seemed to notice the flickering lights on the outside. " She's sort of… queasy." The two women followed him out and shut the door as he Time Lord placed his hand on the door of the TARDIS and stroked it gently, as if touching the arm or back of another person. " Indigestion, like she didn't want to land."

" Well, if you think there's going to be trouble, we could always get back inside and go somewhere else…?" Rose trailed off as she stared up at him, biting back a laugh before the trio snorted and began to have a bit of a laughing fit. Rose put a hand on her stomach and the Doctor rolled his eyes as Selene covered her mouth with both hands, trying to mute her laugh, which was something she'd never been very fond of. Lately she'd noticed a bit more of self-consciousness around Rose and the Doctor, who acted very much like a couple even if they didn't realize it. She'd be lying if she said it didn't make her feel just a bit left out, but she wasn't about to bring it up.

" _I think_ we've landed inside a cupboard," The Doctor said, voice laced with laughter. Selene was broken out of her thoughts by that comment and looked around with a smile still on her face.

" Cupboards? You know what, I love cupboards, you _never_ know what you'll find; what if we've landed in Narnia?" She joked as she referenced one of her favorite books. Rose laughed again and rolled her eyes, bumping hips with her friend.

" You sounded _scarily_ like the Doctor there, you do realize that?" She asked. Selene thought a moment before her eyebrows shot up and she grinned, leaning her head against the Doctor's arm.

" He's rubbing off on me; soon enough, I'll be wearing suits, ties and have ruffly hair."

" Oi, it looks good on me!" He protested in good nature before walking towards the door of the small room adding on, " Here we go!"

_" Open door fifteen,"_ Said a robotic female voice as the large metal door opened. They all stepped out and an almost deafening whooshing sound met their ears. The Doctor took note of the structure of whatever building they were in and said,

" Some sort of base- moon base, sea base, space base… they build these things out of kits!"

" What if it was all three?" Selene mused, shutting the door, which the automatic voice then said she did.

" That… that would be very interesting actually, I've never come across one of those!" He admitted.

" Glad we're indoors sounds like a _storm_ out there!" Rose pointed out, looking up at the ceiling, the amusement from moments earlier gone. The Doctor pulled the next door open, to which the automated voice said,

_" Open door sixteen."_ The Doctor seemed to ignore all other direction of conversation as he put his hands in his pockets and continued to speak about his earlier comment.

" Human design- you've got a _thing_ about kits! This thing was put together like a flat-pack wardrobe, only bigger… and easier." The next door was opened, and they stepped into a large room, which was devoid of people. The metal walls were a tad rusted and there was a set of chairs around a small table, and the Doctor suddenly grinned, leaping down a small set of steps. " Oh, it's a _Sanctuary_ Base!" Rose shut the door as he began to walk around. " Deep-space exploration. We've gone _way_ out." Running over to his two companions, he pointed to the floor as they noted a sort of humming sound. " And listen to that, underneath. Someone's drilling!"

Rose looked at Selene and rolled her eyes a bit before something caught her eye and she slowly said,

" Welcome to Hell…"

" Oh, it's not _that_ bad!" The Doctor exclaimed.

" No, over there!" Rose giggled, pointing to a wall, where the words she had previously spoken had been painted. Underneath that, however, were tons of different markings, like hieroglyphs… that should have translated due to the TARDIS' presence.

At spotting the markings, a harsh tug in Selene's head made wince slightly as another headache began to start up. She was convinced she probably had some sort of concussion from that car crash back in Boston- she'd get headaches every now and again, which made things increasingly difficult to think. What concerned her the most, was the fact that she could only remember _big_ details about the show, not little ones, and the episodes she'd never been a big fan of were even harder to think of. She blamed all this on the pain that was starting to return at that moment, but she didn't think of it as a bigger concerning point… should it be?

" Hold on…" The Doctor trailed off. " What does that say?" He bounded over and crouched down by the marked wall, peering at the black symbols. " That's weird they won't translate…" Rose, who was crouched beside him shook her head in confusion. That didn't make sense…

" But, I thought the TARDIS translated everything, writing as well."

" So this should all be English…" Selene trailed off, ignoring the throbbing that increased inside her skull as she crouched down as well.

" Exactly. If that's not working, then it means… this writing is _old_. Very old… impossibly old!" The Doctor said in a hushed and disbelieving tone as he looked at the writing critically.

" A lot of impossible things have been happening lately though," Selene decided to point out.

" I won't deny that… but we _need_ to find out who's in charge!" The Doctor leapt to his feet and towards another door in one movement, with the grace only he held. As she stood, Selene eyed 'Welcome to Hell' on the wall and knew that she should know what that means, what episode this probably was… but that damned memory block wasn't helping in any way! The Doctor began to turn the wheel on the door to begin to open it, continuing to speak. " We've gone beyond the reach of the TARDIS' knowledge, not a good move, and if someone's lucky enough-" The door flew open and standing there were three creatures.

" OH!" The Doctor yelled out in surprise as the trio of time travelers jumped back a step.

The creatures were humanoid in a way, standing like a human would, but their heads were flesh colored with narrow eyes and no nose, only a bunch of tentacle-like things falling on their face… almost like beards. They all held a sphere object in their gloved hands that was connected with a tube into their heads through the tentacles.

_Oh God… Ood. No one can forget them,_ Selene thought to herself as she recognized the aliens. _But why can I only remember __**them!**__ And the red-eye disease they catch! Uhg! What else am I forgetting!?_

" Oh! Right, hello!" The Doctor said catching his breath from the scare they'd just received. He put on a smile as Rose stared at the creatures, unable to know what to think of them. " Sorry, um… I was just saying, uh… nice base!"

" _**We must feed,**_" Came three voices from the spheres the Ood held, which all lit up brightly. The Doctor's smile fell as they all stared at them in worry.

" You're going to what?" He asked as if he'd heard them wrong… and he hoped he had.

" _**We must feed.**_"

" Yeah, I think they mean us!" Rose exclaimed as they began to back up when the Ood began to step towards them.

" _**We must feed.**_ _**We must feed.**_"

The trio joined hands and spun to run to the other door, only to find more Ood walking in from it.

" _**We must feed.**_ _**We must feed.**_" Another door opened and more Ood walked in. The odds were beginning to look bad. As the choruses of 'we must feed' continued to be spoken, the Doctor reached into his jacket and pulled out the Sonic, the three backing up towards the single table in the room. He pointed it at them as Rose picked up a chair to defend herself and Selene snatched up a broken piece of a metal rod, holding it like a baseball bat. The three scrunched together as they were closed in on by the crowd of the aliens.

Then suddenly no one moved.

No one spoke.

The Ood just stared at them.

The one closest to them then spoke again.

" _**We must feed…**_" He rattled and shook the sphere in his hand and then smacked it a few times before trying to speak again. " _**… You. If you are hungry.**_"

Rose's head snapped to look over at the Doctor and Selene dropped her weapon with a clang. The words took a moment register for him. His brows raised in surprise at the pleasant and completely non-malicious voice and statement.

" Sorry?" He asked, sounding surprised. The Ood clicked a button on the side of the sphere, causing it to light up before it spoke again.

" _**We apologize. Electromagnetics have interfered with speech systems. Would you like some refreshment?**_" It inquired as Rose set down the chair she had held. The Doctor had yet to lower the Sonic, but who could blame him? He still had no idea what these creatures were. Selene blinked rapidly, still attempting to think through what was happening and the Doctor's mouth was open as he was only able to utter something around the lines of,

" Um…"

" _Open door eighteen._"

A loud buzzer echoed as a door swung open and three people (humans, as it would seem) stepped through, all wearing black leather jackets, army-green pants and dog tags. The man at the front wore a grey t-shirt and he stared at the three newcomers. The two behind him held gun-like devices, looking ready to fire if necessary.

" What the Hell?" He asked in a mixture of confusion, shock and what sounded like anger. " How did…" The man, clearly the leader of the three in the jackets, swiftly walked over to the Doctor, looking him up and down. He clicked a button on what looked like an intercom bracelet on his wrist. " Captain, you're not going to believe this. We've got people… out of nowhere. I mean, _real_ people! I mean, _three_ living people just standing here right in front of me!"

The Doctor awkwardly rubbed the back of his head as the man's dark eyes scanned over the three, obviously not believing his eyes. His brown hair was swept out of his face just beginning to grey, and Selene could tell he had a severe look to him, which was something she might not like…

" _Don't be stupid. That's impossible,_" Came a male voice from over the com system.

" I suggest telling _them_ that," The man muttered in response.

" But you're a sort of space base, you must have visitors now and then it _can't _be _that_ impossible," Rose said, staring at the man.

" You telling me you don't know where you are?" The man asked in a harsh voice, hands on his hips now.

" No idea. More fun that way," The Doctor replied with a grin.

" _Stand by everyone, buckle down, we have an incoming. And it's a big one. Quake point five on its way,_" A woman's voice said over the base-wide intercom, causing the man to run and open the door he'd just come through.

" Through here, now. Quickly, come on! Move!" He shouted as the ground began to rumble. They all dashed into a new corridor, the door shutting and locking. Steam began to burst out of pipes as they walked and lights began to flash in warning. Suddenly everything began to shake as the wailing siren continued to drone on. All of it mixed together was doing _nothing_ for Selene's head. " Move! Move! Keep moving! Come on!" The man shouted again as they stumbled along the passage, and Selene decided that she already didn't like him.

They came out of the corridor into what seemed to be command central and the Doctor and Rose managed to jog down the steps and stop to look around as the mixture of her head ache and still wobbly-legged from all the rumbling caused Selene to practically fall down them, being caught by the Doctor. She leaned back against him as he helped her stand straight and they soon found themselves locking eyes with three people huddled around a console. The first was a rather attractive tall blond man with grey-blue eyes, who looked worried and confused, the second was a shorter woman with wavy caramel colored hair, who eyed them quizzically, and the last was a man hunched over the console with chocolate colored skin, a goatee and dark hair, looking at them as if they were crazy.

As the man in the leather jacket worked on closing the door they came through, the man with the goatee's brows furrowed.

" Oh my God, you meant it!" He said in shock, voice matching the one of the person leather-jacket-man had been speaking to… and that made him the captain.

" People. Look at that, real people!" Said another woman, who looked to be in her very early twenties, wearing a black tank top.

" That's us, hooray!" The Doctor exclaimed with a grin.

" Yeah, definitely real," Rose said with an awkward tone and equally awkward smile. " Well, I'm Rose, Rose Tyler, this is Selene Thomas, and this- this is the Doctor," Rose said, pointing to her two friends.

" Come on! The oxygen must be off-line!" Said another man with straight, chin-length black hair, wearing a baggy hoodie. He stood up and swiftly walked towards the trio. " We're hallucinating. They can't be!"

" Trust me, we're not hallucinations," Selene muttered, rubbing her forehead as the throbbing increased. " This headache of mine is _way_ too real… Nice to meet you anyway though, she said, patting him on the shoulder. He stared at her very real hand.

" No! They're _real!_"

" _Come ON, _we're in the middle of an alert! Danny, strap up, the quake's coming in!" The Captain ordered the man in the hoodie. He now sat in a chair by the console, glaring at Danny, who rushed back to his station. " Impact in thirty seconds! Sorry, you three, whoever you are. Just hold on… _tight_."

" Hold on to what?" Rose inquired.

" Anything. I don't care. Just hold on." The three searched for something to hold on to. " Ood, are we fixed?"

" _**Your kindness in this emergency is much appreciated,**_" An Ood replied.

" What's this planet called anyway?" The Doctor decided to ask.

" Don't be stupid, it hasn't got a name," Said the woman with caramel colored hair as she sat in her seat. " _How_ could it have a name?"

_Well, that's an odd statement…_ The Doctor mused to himself. Selene arched a brow as the Doctor raised his. The woman stared at them.

" You _really_ don't know, do you?"

" And, impact!" The Captain shouted.

The entire room began to shake, and everyone gripped onto what they held onto, Rose, the Doctor and Selene falling to the floor from the low railings they'd grabbed on. Everything stopped shaking and the Doctor stood, letting go of his support.

" Well, that wasn't so ba-" He fell as a violent tremor rattled everything. He fell into Selene, who, thinking of the best thing to do for him, grabbed around his waist to keep him still as he groped for the railing again. Fires began to appear on consoles and in corners, steam shot around everywhere and everyone was being thrashed around. Finally it stopped and leather-jacket-man began to put out the fires.

" Okay, that's it. Everyone all right? Speak to me! Ida!" The Captain called out.

" Yeah, yeah!" The caramel haired woman called out.

" Danny!"

" Fine!" Danny called out.

" Toby!"

" Yeah, fine," The blond man assured him softly.

" Scooti!"

" No damage!" The woman in the black tank top said.

" Jefferson!"

" Check!" Leather-jacket-man shouted out.

" We're fine, thanks, fine. Yeah, don't worry about us," The Doctor said as Selene helped pull him up, her arm still around his waist. He rubbed his head and Rose pulled strands of her blond hair from her mouth. Selene groaned and held her head in her hands as she felt sore spots from where she'd hit it against the floor in the shaking.

" The surface caved in. I deflected it onto storage five through eight. We've lost them completely," The Captain said, glancing at a monitor. " Toby, go check the rocket link."

" That's not my department," Toby told him, staring at him, clearly put-off by his demand.

" Just do as I say, yeah?"

Toby groaned in his head and walked towards the door Selene, Rose and the Doctor sat in front of, Selene scooted out of the way as he briskly walked up to the door and through it, looking rather annoyed.

" Oxygen's holding!" Scooti called out.

" Internal gravity fifty-six point six. We should be okay," Ida called out.

" Never mind the earthquake, that's… that's one _hell_ of a storm!" Rose said as she listened to the angry sound of wind rushing outside. " What is that, a hurricane?"

" You'd need an atmosphere for a hurricane. There's no air out there, it's a complete vacuum," Scooti said, flicking a few switches.

" Then what's shaking the roof?"

" You're not joking. You really don't know," Ida said in surprise. " Well! Introductions. FYI- as they said in the olden days, I'm Ida Scott, science officer." She pointed to the captain. " Zachary Cross Flane, Acting Captain, Sir. You've met Mr. Jefferson, he's head of security. Danny Bartock, Ethics Committee."

" _Not_ as boring as it sounds," He assured them. The trio smiled at him.

" And that man, who just left, that was Toby Zed, Archeology. And _this,_" Ida moved over to Scooti and put her hands on her shoulders. " Is Scooti Manista, Trainee, Maintenance." She ran over to a switch on the wall and grabbed a hold of this. " And this… this is home." She pulled the lever.

" Brace yourselves. The sight of it sends some people mad," Zach warned with a dull tone of voice.

The shield of metal on the glass roof opened and red-orange light streamed in, revealing space and something completely impossible… so impossible it was making the Doctor's brain whiz with questions and possibilities. He shot to his feet first, Rose quick to follow, Selene straightening up slowly as they gazed at the sight above them.

A black hole.

There were no stars around them, just complete and utter black, the definition of pitch black, and the black hole roared on as it pulled in and absorbed chunks of rock and star, the red-orange light shining down on them. If Selene had to equate what it looked like to something, it would probably have to be the Eye of Sauron from Lord of the Rings. It was horrifying. They weren't that far away from it, and it should be sucking them up right now, killing them all… but it wasn't.

" A black hole… dear God…" Selene muttered, pounding head momentarily forgotten.

" But that's impossible!" The Doctor whispered as he stared up at it.

" I did warn you," Zach all but grumbled.

" We're standing under a black hole."

" In orbit," Ida added on.

" But we _can't_ be!" He whispered in disbelief, the light of the space anomaly reflecting in his brown eyes.

" You can see for yourself, we're in orbit," She repeated herself.

" But we _can't_ be!" The Doctor said louder, turning to look at her. Ida smiled a bit and said,

" This lump of rock is suspended in perpetual geostationary orbit around that black hole, without falling in. Discuss."

" And that's bad, yeah?" Rose asked.

" Bad doesn't cover it," The Doctor amended. " A black hole's a dead star, it collapses in on itself, in and in and in until the matter's so dense and tight it starts to pull everything else in too. Nothing in the universe can escape it. Light… Gravity…. Time… Everything just gets pulled inside and crushed."

" So they can't be in orbit. We should be pulled right in."

" We should be dead."

" Yet we're not," Selene added in, still staring up through the glass.

" Beyond the laws of physics. Welcome on board," Ida said to them.

" But if there's no atmosphere out there, what's that?" Rose asked, gesturing to the cloud-like ring around the black hole.

" Stars breaking up, gas clouds. We have whole… solar systems being ripped apart above our heads before falling into that thing," Ida replied.

" So, a bit worse than a storm, then?"

" Just a bit."

" Just a bit, yeah."

Another tremor rattled the ground, causing everyone to stumble, gazes ripped away from the sky.

Toby had just finished grabbing some roles of blueprints, which he now held under his arm, and stumbled into the corridor once the tremor hit. He righted himself when it ended and began to walk back towards command central, gaze fixed on the floor, when something odd happened.

" Toby…" A voice whispered. He paused and looked around as the power suddenly died down and left him in the dark for only a moment before it flicked back on. Off then and then on again. He looked around, expecting a fellow crewmember to be there, joking and laughing.

" Who's there?" He asked. No response. _It's probably Danny; he loves to play mindless jokes on everyone…_ Toby thought to himself as he looked around again. " Danny?" Once again nothing. He shook his head and turned to the door, pulling it open.

" _Close door one._"

Toby reentered command central, the metal shield covering the glass roof again, and found everyone standing around the main control panel, with the exception of Selene, who now sat in a chair, trying to get her headache to stop.

" Rocket link's fine," He announced, setting down the blueprint roles. Zach acknowledged him with a nod and then clicked a button as a hologram of the black hole appeared. The Doctor pulled on his classes and let his chin rest in the palm of his hand as he examined it.

" That's the black hole officially designated K37 GEN 5," Zach explained.

" In the scriptures of the Faltino, this planet is called Krop Tor, 'The Bitter Pill.' And the black hole is supposed to be a mighty demon. It was tricked into devouring the planet, only to spit it out… 'cause it was poison," Ida explained, smiling slightly.

" 'The Bitter Pill.' I like that!" Rose said with a grin and a small laugh. The Doctor ignored her comment as his brows creased in confusion.

" We are _so_ far out, lost in the drifts of the universe. How did you even get here?" The Doctor asked.

" Rocket ship…" Selene muttered to herself sarcastically, the headache taking a toll on her mood. She was honestly pissed off that she couldn't remember what was going to happen, and the stress of the black hole mystery wasn't helping anything. She rubbed her eyes and leaned back in the chair, sucking in a deep breath.

" We flew in," Zach replied. Selene smirked. Rocket ship or Star Ship or whatever they flew in on, she was still technically right. A hologram of the planet appeared with a pulsing red beam coming out of it, like sonar rings, from the center of the planet. " You see, this planet's generating a gravity field. We don't know _how_, we've no idea. But it's kept in constant balance against the black hole. And the field extends out there, as a funnel, in the distinct… gravity funnel reaching out into clear space. _That_ was our way in."

" You flew down that thing? Like a rollercoaster," Rose joked, grinning once more. Sighing Selene stood, not being able to sit still any more, and stood between Rose and Toby, sweeping hair out of her face. Rose's constant jokes were also beginning to ware down on her nerves and she could feel her calm resolve beginning to slip, which was something she'd worked so hard to keep up over the years. Honestly, shouldn't they be worrying about the black hole?

She'd snapped angrily at so many people when she was younger and had gotten sick of it. Granted, Selene let herself snap at those she truly didn't like, such as authority figures that knew they had that much more power over people and figured they could do what they liked… _Sort of like Jefferson and his stupid leather jacket,_ She thought to herself, sending a look at the security officer. And the thing was, she didn't want that resolve to slip. She wanted to be cool and collected like she normally was… but it didn't look like that was about to be the situation.

" By rights, the ship should have been torn apart. We lost the captain… which is what put me in charge…" Zach trailed off.

" You're doing a good job," Ida assured him with a comforting voice.

" Yeah, well, needs must."

" But if that gravity funnel closes, there's no way out," Danny added in.

" We had fun speculating about _that_," Scooti snickered.

" Oh, yeah, that's the word. 'Fun.'" He replied, lightly smacking her on the back of the head with a blueprint role.

The Doctor's brows were still scrunched up as he attempted to contemplate what was being told. Gravity field? Planet in orbit around a black hole? None of it should be possible, yet, like Selene and Ida had said, here they were defying physics. If the Doctor had one goal in mind at the moment, it was figuring out what the hell was going on.

" But that field would take _phenomenal_ amounts of power! I mean… not just big but off the scale! Can I?" The Doctor pointed to a calculator.

" Sure, help yourself," Ida told him, walking to go hand it to him. An Ood walked over to Rose and Selene. He held a tray with two small cups on it, and the sphere in the other, which it then clicked and said,

" _**Your refreshments.**_"

" Oh yes, yes, thank you," Rose said, taking one cup, Selene taking the other.

" Thanks…" She said softly, immediately sipping at the water.

" Oh! I'm sorry, what was your name?" Rose suddenly inquired the blue jump-suit wearing alien.

" _**We have no titles. We are as one.**_"

" Um…" She said as the Ood walked away. She stepped over to Danny." What are they called?"

" Oh, come on, where have you been living? Everyone's got one," He teased.

" Well, not me, so, what are they?"

" They're the Ood," Danny replied.

" 'The Ood?'" Rose asked, wondering if she'd heard him wrong.

" The Ood."

" Well that's _Ood._" Rose smirked slightly.

" Very Ood. But handy. They work the mind shafts, all the drilling and stuff, supervision and maintenance. They're born for it. Basic slave race."

" You've got _slaves?_" Rose asked in shock.

" Don't start, she's like one of that lot, 'Friends of the Ood,'" Scooti scoffed to Danny, smirking.

" Damn straight," Selene said as she stepped up, sipping at her water again, her annoyances at the majority of the Sanctuary Base crew rising. " Do you _really_ have to have slaves? Seems a bit morally wrong, yeah?"

" But the Ood offer themselves! Like, if you don't give them orders, they just pine away and die."

" Sorry, but do you like serving people all the time?" Selene asked an Ood that stepped towards them.

" _**It is all we crave,**_" The Ood replied politely.

" Why's that then?" Rose asked, sounding upset.

" _**We have nothing else in life.**_"

" Yeah, well I used to think like that… a long time ago…" Rose trailed off, staring at the alien in front of her.

" I seriously need some Aspirin…" Selene groaned as the headache continued to pound behind her skull.

" There we go! Do you see? To generate that kind of gravity field and the funnel you'd need a power source with an inverted self-extrapolating reflex of six to the power of six, every six seconds!" The Doctor said quickly.

" Six-six-six, that's ominous," Selene said.

" It's _impossible._"

" It took us _two years_ to work that out," Zach said in surprise, staring at the tall brunette man.

" I'm very good," He replied, leaning against the control panel.

" But… that's why we're here. This power source is ten miles below, through solid rock. Point zero- we're drilling down to try and find it," Ida told them.

" It's giving off readings of over ninety stats on the Blazen scale," Zach added.

" We could revolutionize modern science." Ida had excitement clear in her voice.

" We could use it to fuel the empire," Jefferson supplied.

" _Or_ start a war," The Doctor bleakly reminded, whipping his glasses off.

" It's buried beneath us… in the darkness, waiting," Toby said, meeting eyes with Selene and the Doctor.

" What's your job? Chief… _Dramatist?_" Rose asked. Selene rubbed her eyes and shook her head. The Doctor smiled slightly. Selene shook her head again. The poor blond man looked tired and worn, the last thing he needed was teasing.

" Let the man speak…" She mumbled, tying her hair back into a ponytail. The Doctor frowned at the noticeable change of attitude, but stored the fact away to ask about later.

" Well, whatever it is down there is _not_ a natural phenomenon. And this planet once supported life… _eons_ ago, before the human race had even learned how to walk," Toby explained, sending a slight nod to Selene.

" I saw that lettering written on the wall; did you do that?" The Doctor asked, remembering Ida had said that he was in the archeology department of the team. He gave a nod.

" I copied it from fragments we found unearthed by the drilling, but I can't translate it."

" No, neither can I, and that's saying something."

" There was some form of civilization. They buried something. Now it's reaching out, calling us in," Toby said adamantly. It was as if he'd given the subject great thought, which he had, and he'd said it many times before. The Doctor looked around at the Sanctuary Base crew and grinned, saying,

" And you came!"  
" Well, how could we not?" Ida inquired, brow arched. It was an impossible idea not coming.

" So, when it comes right down to it, why did you come here?" The Doctor continued to grin. " Why did you do that? Why? I'll tell you why… Because it was there! Brilliant!" The Doctor turned to look at Zach. " Excuse me, uh, Zach, wasn't it?"

" That's me."

" Just stand there, 'cause I'm gonna… hug you. Is that alright?" Selene couldn't help but smile at the Doctor's request, only slightly noting the look Jefferson sent the Doctor.

" Suppose so," Zach replied, looking completely serious.

" Here we go, comin' in," He said, equally as serious as the two embraced. He broke out into a smile, Zach unable to suppress one as well. " Oh, human beings! You are… _amazing!_ Ha!" He pulled away and looked at the captain. " Thank you."

" Not at all," Zach said with a nod.

" But apart from that you're completely mad. You should pack your bags, get back in that ship and fly for your lives," The Doctor insisted, steering away from his grinning happy mood and getting straight into his 'save the world' mode.

" You can talk. And how the _hell_ did you get here?" Ida shot back. The Doctor stuttered over his words for a moment.

" _Well,_ I've got this um… this…" He looked at Selene and Rose for help, but they looked just as lost as he was. " Ship, it's hard to explain. It just sort of appears.

" We can show you, we parked down the corridor from um…" Rose trailed off, trying to think of the name. " Oh, what's it called… uh, Habitation Area…

" Three," The Doctor supplied.

" Three. Three." Zach gave a worried look. If they were by Habitation Area Three then…

" Do you mean Storage Six?" He asked urgently.

" Uh, it was a bit of a cupboard, yeah. Storage Six, but you sa-" He froze as he remembered the captain's words from earlier… and from the looks on everyone's faces, his fears were confirmed.

" You told us storage five through eight were…" Selene muttered. She exchanged glances with the Doctor before he took off running, companions at his heels.

" What is it!? What's wrong!?" Rose called out as their feet pounded against the metal grating on the floor. The Doctor began to quickly try and open a door.

" Stupid doors! _Come on!_" He hissed just before it opened and they bounded to the door they'd come through. The Doctor pressed the button repeatedly to no avail.

" _Door sixteen out of commission,_" The computer announced.

" It can't be… it can't be!"

" What's wrong? What is it? Doctor, the TARDIS is in there. What's happened?" Rose asked as the Doctor peered through a porthole in the door. Selene sighed and caught her breath, shaking her head. She remembered just that bit more now… the TARDIS had fallen into the pit… They were stuck.

" The TARDIS is gone…" He muttered.

" _Door sixteen out of commission._"

" The earthquake… this section collapsed."

" But it's got to be out there somewhere," Rose tried to reason as she walked to the window. The Doctor looked at the distressed look on Selene's face and he knew she understood what was wrong.

" Look down," The two told Rose in unison. Rose glanced down from the landscape in front of her to see a deep, deep pit.

" It's bound to be miles deep," Selene said, shaking her head. " An earthquake that strong isn't going to leave minor damage…"

OOOO

" The ground gave way, my TARDIS must've fallen down," The Doctor right into the heart of the planet," The Doctor explained to Zach. " But you've got robot drills heading the same way."

" We _can't_ divert the drilling," He said simply.

" But I need my ship! It's all I've got! Literally, the only thing!" The Doctor pleaded, following Zach across the room.

" Doctor, we've only got the resources to drill one central shaft down to the power source, and that's it. No diversions, no distractions, no exceptions. Your machine is lost. All I can do is offer you a lift if we ever get to leave this place, and that is the end of it." Zach turned on a note of finality and left.

" I'll… uh… put you on the duty roster. We need someone in the laundry," Ida said before swiftly leaving, not knowing what else to say.

" _Open door one._"

" _Close door one._"

The three time travelers were left alone with an Ood. The Doctor had a glassy-eyed look and he turned to look at Rose and Selene.

" I've trapped you both here…" He muttered in that regretful voice Selene hated to hear as he leaned against the console beside Rose, across from Selene.

" No, don't worry about us," Rose assured him. Everything shook slightly. " Okay, we're on a planet that shouldn't exist underneath a black hole, and no way out." She paused. " Yeah I've changed my mind. Start worrying about me."

The Doctor pulled her in for a long, tight hug, staring up at the ceiling as if he could see through the metal back at the black hole. It was _those_ moments that Selene felt awkward and out of place. When they seemed to no longer acknowledge her presence and it made her feel like she just wanted to fade in the background, which was what she'd already been doing for years. When they pulled away, the Doctor sighed.

" Well, let's go find the mess hall, I'm sure we could all do with some food," He said as they headed for the door Ida had departed through. As they began to walk, the Doctor turned his eyes to Selene. " You alright?"

" Yeah, yeah, don't mind me. Just a stupid headache again…" She said, hoping to sound dismissive as she waved a hand.

" Another one?" Rose asked with worry. The Doctor's brows rose.

" _Another?_ What, you've still had headaches? I would have thought they'd gone away after you healed from that car crash," The Doctor said, worry creeping into his voice as well. He wished she would have mentioned it to him _way_ earlier so they could have figured out what was going on. He was fairly sure she'd completely recovered from her accident and this was concerning. She shrugged.

" Well, maybe I have a concussion, I'm not sure… But what I do know is I need to find some pain-killers, it's _seriously_ hindering everything…" Selene said with a sigh as the pain began to press against her eyes.

" I've got something you can take, if you'd like," Came a familiar voice from a side corridor. They all paused and looked to see Toby standing there, hands in his pockets. Rose and the Doctor's eyes slid to Selene as they waited for an answer.

" If it isn't too much trouble," She said softly.

" Not at all, but I've left it in my quarters, just follow me," He nodded down the corridor. Selene turned to Rose and the Doctor.

" I'll catch up with you," She told them before moving to follow Toby, not noticing the slight smirk on Rose's face.

The first few moments of walking down the corridors were silent and a bit awkward. Selene fiddled with the sleeves of her sweater and she glanced up at Toby after a moment. That was one of the things she hated about meeting and being alone with new people; the awkward silences. And it didn't help when the new person was male… especially if they were attractive. And yes, she had to admit, she thought Toby was very good-looking. Blushing at her thoughts of attractive men (the Doctor slipped into her mind at that moment), she shoved the subject aside just as Toby spoke.

" I'm Toby, by the way," He said, extending a hand to her. She took it and smiled slightly.

" Nice to meet you, Toby, I'm Selene."

" Pleasure to meet you as well, Selene."

Silence ensued once more.

" I have to thank you for earlier," He said to her honestly as they rounded another corner. Her eyebrows creased as she looked up at him.

" Hm? Oh, do you mean defending your right to speak?" She asked. Toby nodded, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head. She couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her face. " Well, I know what it's like to not be able to speak when you want to."

" You do?"

" Yeah, I have an older sister, and even though we usually get along, she likes to think that since she's older she can just voice what she thinks is important to override what I think. It gets annoying really fast," She said, looking at him again. " And I know what it's like to be exhausted and try to keep functioning." Toby laughed and smiled for the first time she'd seen.

" Only every day of my life. Ah, here we are." He pushed a door open and stepped inside is quarters, heading for a shelf above a desk littered with research. Selene stepped inside and took the opportunity to look around at the copies of the mysterious letters.

" Must be pretty weird having been here with the same people for two years," She commented. Toby chuckled as he rifled around on the shelf.

" Well, you get used to it. Can't say that everyone doesn't get on my nerves or the nerves of the rest of the crew from time to time, 'cause we do, but we've learned to live with each other, all bound by our common interest for this planet," He told her, glancing to see her now standing beside him, looking at the ceramic fragments with the letters on them. She smiled slightly and laughed quietly, only wincing when the sharp pain in her head increased for a moment.

" Yeah, I guess that's how I ended up traveling with Rose and the Doctor; a common interest for adventure," Selene admitted. Toby grabbed a bottle from the corner of the shelf and opened it, shaking out two pills of what was presumably some sort of painkiller into the palm of his hand. He held them out to her.

" There you go," He said.

" Thanks." She took them from him before popping them into her mouth, swallowing them dry with minor difficulty, not caring what sort of futuristic medicine it was.

" Anytime. So, you enjoy traveling with your friends then?" He asked, sitting down in his desk chair by the two bunks behind him. He had to say, out of the three new people on the base, Selene intrigued him the most. He wasn't sure why, maybe it was because he thought she was pretty; beyond pretty in his own opinion. Toby felt comfortable around the new arrival, and found her surprisingly easy to talk to. He _wanted_ to talk to her.

Selene smiled a bit at him. He was easy to talk to and she was actually happy to be able to spend time with him away from the others, where he seemed subdued and quiet. He was a great conversationalist. And, most importantly, he didn't annoy the hell out of her, like Danny or Jefferson did. At the moment, as the painkillers began to slowly take affect, her annoyance melted off slightly.

" I do, we go to great places, meet great people." Selene smiled again, but it faded slightly. " But sometimes I feel a bit outcast. Just sometimes, not often… but it makes it a bit awkward at times, you know? They've known each other longer, seem to act like a couple without realizing it and I'm just always… there. Third wheel kind of, I guess," She said quietly, finally admitting what she'd had bottled up inside. And she'd admitted it to a practical stranger and she didn't really care; it felt good to finally say it out loud.

" I'm sure that's not true. We've all had our ups and downs," Toby assured her with a small smile. She returned it and straightened up, taking in a deep breath.

" Thanks, Toby. I should get going, leave you to your research." Eyeing the lettering on the ceramics and paper, a chilling twinge ran through her, something about those damned letters kept bothering her… and the damned brain fog still wasn't letting her remember… " And since it seems I'll be here a while, I'll see you around." She smiled and waved, stepping towards the door.

" See you. And should you need anything else for your headache, just come find me," He replied, watching her leave. There was a pause before she stepped back into the doorway, a blush on her face.

" Um… which way to the mess hall?" She asked with an embarrassed voice. Toby chuckled.

" It's actually in Habitation Area Three. Head to the left, take two rights, open the first door and then follow the main corridor straight, you should find it, it's shorter than having to head back to command central," He told her. Nodding her thanks she walked off muttering,

" Left, right, right, door, straight…"

OOOO

" _Entering night shift. Your chosen track for transition is Ravel's 'Boléro.'_" The computer announced as said music began to play over the base-wide intercom system. Everyone began their duties: Jefferson over saw the Ood's work, Scooti was just outside the base in an orange space-suit fixing last-minute machines out on the planet's surface and Danny was counting off Ood and checking their numbers off on a clipboard.

Toby, now wearing latex gloves, held a ceramic shard under a lamp/magnifying glass object that attached to his desk, peering closely at the letters. Two years of research and nothing was coming up. Just the same markings. Nothing else. The music was playing softly in his quarters and he was dead-focused on his work. Suddenly, the music cut off with a slight screech and he froze, looking up. Shaking it off as nothing more than a technology glitch, he began to examine the shard again.

" Toby." It was the voice from earlier.

Toby spun around to look behind himself, once again expecting to see someone. But, like earlier, no one was there. He turned back to his work again.

" I can see you," The voice said again. Completely fed up, he spun back around, putting the ceramic piece back down, bracing his hands on his knees.

" Danny, is that you?" He asked in annoyance. He wasn't kidding when he told Selene crewmembers got on everyone's nerves now and then. And, if it was Danny doing this, he was seriously pissed off. No response. " It's—it's not funny, alright?" No reply. " Dan?"

Toby stood up and swiftly walked to the door, opening it up with a buzz as he stepped into the corridor. No one was there, but, knowing Danny, he was probably hiding around the corner, silently laughing to himself.

" I'm—I'm trying to work, Daniel." He took a few steps down the hall after yet another empty silence. " Look if—if, that's you, then can you just stop it?"

With a whir, the electricity powered down. Then it whirred back on, leaving Toby answerless and a bit confused to the power glitches. Spinning on his heel, he marched back into his room, glancing around one more time before shutting the door.

Back in Habitation Area Three, the Doctor was examining the script on the wall underneath the words 'Welcome To Hell,' with Rose sitting at his side. He was sitting on the ground, scribbling down notes and copies of the letters. The majority of the small crew were sitting at a table.

" _Danny, check the temperature in Ood Habitation. It seems to be rising,_" Zach's voice said over the intercom. Danny, who had just finished dinner and had been nowhere near Toby's room, stood, ready to go check on the temperature. Rose stood and went to go get food, reaching for a metal tray.

" Help yourself. Just don't have the green… or the blue," Scooti said with a smile and a laugh, walking off with her own food. Selene walked up beside Rose, having just walked through the door. Rose gave a smile and the two walked over to a window and looked in at the Ood on the other side.

" Um, a bit of that, thanks," Rose said unsure, pointing to something. It appeared she'd gotten the blue.

" _**Would you like sauce with that?**_" The Ood asked.

" I'll have a go yeah. I did that job once. I was a… a dinner lady. Not that I'm calling you a lady. Although, I don't know. You might be," Rose said, stumbling over her own words. Selene, who was facing the Doctor's direction snickered slightly. " Do you actually get paid though, do they give you money?"

" _**The Beast and his Armies shall rise from the Pit to make war against God,**_" The Ood suddenly told them in a pleasant voice. Both women's heads snapped around to look at the creature. Their jaws were slack and their eyes were wide. They shared a glance before looking back at the Ood.

" What did you just say?" Selene asked, glad that her headache was now only a dull push in her head, which gave her more room to think about whatever the Ood had just told them. It smacked the sphere in its hand with a crackling sound.

" _**Apologies. I said, I hope you enjoy your meal,**_" It amended, earning a small nod from Rose and Selene, who then took the tray and headed for an empty table.

Danny was headed for Ood Habitation, and as he shut the door, the computer then, as usual, said,

" _Close door three._"

" 'Close door three,'" Danny mocked.

" _He is awake._" The computer announced. Danny stared at the door, and the speaker beside it.

" What did you just say?" He asked.

" _Close door three._"

Toby had been sitting in his chair, staring at the markings for what felt like forever. He didn't feel like getting up and heading to the mess hall, he needed to find out what the symbols meant, what that ancient language was trying to tell them.

" Toby…" The voice hissed. Slowly looking up, he realized the voice was _inside_ his quarters… just behind him. He began to turn, but then the voice spoke again. " _Don't_ turn around."

" Dan," Toby muttered. His breathing and heart rate picked up as he finally realized something. " That's not Dan…" He was about to spin as fast as he could to spot the owner of the deep, menacing voice, but was once again stopped.

" Don't look at me!" It ordered.

" Who—who—who are you?" He stuttered out, getting increasingly worried.

" I have_ so_ many names…"

" If—if I could—"

" If you look at me, you will die," It told Toby darkly.

" B-but who are you?" Toby inquired.

" I'm behind you, Toby. I'm _right_ behind you." He began to turn his head. " Don't look, _don't_ look at me. One look and you will die. I'm reaching out Toby… I'm _so_ close… Don't turn around. _Oh,_ I can touch you…"

That was it. Toby spun around, holding his breath. No one was there. He could have sworn to God that someone was there. He let out the breath he'd held in, his heart racing. But… the door was open, he was sure he'd closed it. He always closed it. Thinking he must have left it open in the last time he'd checked the hall, he turned back to his desk. Maybe he was just tired and hallucinating…

As he turned, he froze when he saw the pot shards in his hands. They weren't riddled with that mysterious script anymore. They were gone.

Suddenly, the palms of his hands began to itch. He set the shards down and pulled off his gloves. He paused and then flipped his hands over, staring in shock as he saw what was now inscribed in black across his skin. The letters now took residence on his hands. He stood quickly and stumbled back as he looked at his hands, just noting that his face began to tingle. He grabbed for the nearest reflective thing and found something akin to a mirror. He held it up and nearly gasped, but was too shocked to do so.

The markings were covering his face and neck, but most disturbing of all, the irises of his eyes were blood red. His lips had a blue tinge to them, and soon his whole body felt like it was being pulled and poked with tiny needles, and it wasn't pleasant. He tossed the mirror aside and fell to his knees before keeling over onto the floor, completely unconscious.

Back in the mess hall, the lights flickered. The Doctor looked up from his book of notes and Selene, sitting beside Rose, stopped tracing match equations doodled on the table with her finger, looking up at the lights. Ida, who was walking across the room clicked the comm. button on her wrist.

" Zach, have we got a problem?" She asked.

" _No more than usual. Got the Scarlet System burning up—might be worth a look,_" Zach replied. Ida smiled at the time travelers sitting at one of the tables.

" You might want to see this—moment in history," She told them with an excited tone in her voice. She truly loved her job, everyone could tell. She ran to a switch and pulled it, the metal visors of the roof pulling down so they could see the black hole again. Ida pointed. " There. On the edge. That red cloud? That used to be the Scarlet System. Home to the Pelushi, a mighty civilization spanning a billion years, disappearing… forever… Their planets and suns consumed." Rose, Selene and the Doctor watched with saddened looks on their faces. They'd been to enough places and met enough people to know how sad this event truly was… " Ladies and gentlemen… we have witnessed its passing." She moved to close it, but the Doctor said,

" Uh, no, c-could you leave it open? Just for a bit? I won't go mad, I promise."

" How would you know?" The Doctor smirked for a second before letting it drop. " Scooti, check the lockdown. Jefferson, sign off the airlock seals for me." As everyone departed, the three were left alone again.

" I've seen films and things, yeah, they say black holes are like gateways to another universe," Rose said, obviously hoping for something good.

" Not that one," The Doctor told her. " It just eats." Selene sighed and stared up at the disappearing rocks. She thought of how horrible it must be to have your entire world just sucked up and eaten away in a few short seconds… one minute it's the middle of the day and then the next; absolutely nothing.

" Long way from home…" Rose whispered. The Doctor eyed her and leaned across the table and pointed to the sky.

" Go that way, turn right, keep going for, um, about, um, five hundred years and you'll reach the earth," The Doctor told the two women. Rose pulled out her phone and snapped it up, sighing.

" No signal. That's the first time we've gone out of range. Mind you, even if I could… what would I tell her?" She asked softly, staring back up at the black hole. She turned back to the Time Lord. " Can you build another TARDIS?" She laughed slightly.

" They were grown, not built. And with my own planet gone, we're kind of stuck," He replied in a quiet voice.

" You know, it _could_ get worse. I mean, we've got food, drink, new people…" Selene pointed out.

" And they said they'd give us a lift," Rose said.

" And then what?" The Doctor asked, looking right at her.

" I don't know. Find a planet… get a job… live a life—same as the rest of the universe," Rose suggested, and suddenly that little bubble that would occasionally wrap around herself and the Doctor appeared and Selene stared down at her hands. The Doctor blew out a breath.

" I'd have to settle down…" He said with realization. He sniffed. " Get a house or something, a proper house with—with—with—with _doors_ and things, _carpets!_ Me! Living in a house!" Rose began to laugh. " Now _that… that _is terrifying!"

" You'd have to get a mortgage!" Rose sang as the two laughed.

" No." The Doctor dead-panned.

" Oh, yes."

" I'm dying, that's it, I am dying, it is all over," He joked.

" What about me? I'd have to get one too! I don't know it could… could be the same one. We could both…" She met his eyes as he looked at her with an unreadable look she looked back up at the sky. " I don't know, share. Or not. You know, whatever. I don't know. We'll sort something out."

" Anyway…" The Doctor coughed awkwardly.

" We'll see…"

Selene looked between the two. Somewhere after the Doctor had mentioned a house for the first time, she'd stood up and walked up the small set of steps and sat on the top one, leaning her forearms on her knees. She internally sighed and looked at her hands again, inspecting the slightly chipped ends of her nails. A new feeling had stirred inside her stomach as she watched the two act like a bickering couple, something they tended to do with increasing frequency. She couldn't place it at that moment, but as she watched the two exchange awkward glances, the word finally hit her.

Jealousy.

She was _jealous_. How could she not be? She'd only just realized she had fallen for the Doctor, what, last big adventure they had? And since then, she found it hard to be around the two when the acted all… lovey-dovey without noticing it. She felt self conscious standing beside Rose, she had to admit. She always had perfect make-up, an area Selene never quite excelled in, and the blond was gorgeous with perfect while Selene thought herself rather plain with unruly hair that hated any style she forced it into. Rubbing her eyes she sighed and shook her head. God, why did she have to fall for the Doctor?

_'Cause he's amazing and sort of perfect, that's why…_ She thought to herself._ Oh, boy, the headache's gonna come back now, isn't it?_

" I promised Jackie I'd always take you back home…" He looked over at Selene, who was rubbing her eyes with creased brows. Though he couldn't promise anyone _she_ knew he'd get her home, since her real home was completely inaccessible, he had promised himself in his head that he wouldn't let her get harmed and that she'd always have somewhere safe to go, which just so happened to be the TARDIS, which he'd happily heard her refer to as her new home once or twice.

" Everyone leaves home in the end," Rose whispered.

" Not to end up stuck here…"

" Yeah, but stuck here with you, that's not so bad," She replied.

" Yeah?"

" Yes." They smiled at each other and Rose turned to grin at Selene. " And Selene'll be with us all the way! By the way…" A sly smile came across her features. " You get the painkillers?" Selene looked up and nodded.

" Mm. Yeah, Toby was really nice about it," She said, smiling slightly, standing up to sit back beside Rose again. Rose bumped her shoulder against Selene's.

" He's kind of a looker, isn't he?" She teased, grinning. Selene raised an eyebrow, resting her cheek in the palm of her hand. The Doctor's brow creased as he watched the two. So was this what they talked about whenever he wasn't around?

" He is," She agreed, a very faint blush rising to her cheeks.

" _I _think he fancies you, just saying."

" I've only known him for a day, not even that long."

" Well, I still think he does, and we _will_ be stuck here a while… so…" Rose smirked again, enjoying teasing her friend. Selene rolled her eyes and laughed slightly. The Doctor's mouth pulled down in a frown at the conversation, brows still creased. For some reason, some odd, unexplainable reason, he didn't like thinking about Selene and the young blond archeologist. Luckily he was spared from having to listen to any more of that conversation when Rose's phone rang.

" D-didn't you say we had no reception?" Selene asked as Rose answered and held it to her ear.

" He is awake," Said that same voice that had talked to Toby. Rose threw her phone down onto the floor quickly, staring at it in fear.

In Toby's quarters, the blond man sucked in a breath as his red eyes shot open as a tiny smirk pulled at his blueish lips.

OOOO

After explaining what she heard over the phone, the Doctor decided they should visit Danny, who had to check on Ood habitation. The Doctor ran down a few steps and jumped the last few to land on the catwalk Danny stood on.

" Evening!" He said cheerily, walking over to him.

" Only us!" Rose added.

" They mysterious couple and their tag-on friend," Danny greeted. Selene shot him a look.

" Ha-ha-ha. That was a sarcastic laugh by the way," Selene said, mood slipping back to annoyed at the man's comment. Danny smirked at her.

" Still got that headache?"

" No, actually, it went away, then we stepped in here and you started talking and it came back," She shot back, crossing her arms. The Doctor and Rose gave her a surprised look. She never sassed _anyone_. At least not when they'd known her.

" You always this sassy?" He inquired, still smirking.

" Not usually."

" Mm. Well, how are you all then? Settling in?"

" Yeah, sorry, straight to business. The Ood—how do they communicate?" The Doctor asked as he took a glance to where rows of Ood sat on benches below the catwalk in a chain-link fence enclosed area, which was open to the steps. " I mean with each other."

" Oh. Just empaths. There's a low-level telepathic field connecting them. Not that it does _them_ that much good. They're basically a herd race, like cattle," Danny explained as he continued to type away on a monitor.

" This… telepathic field, can it pick up messages?" The Doctor inquired, brows creased.

" 'Cause Selene and I were grabbing dinner…"

" And one of them said something kind of… Odd," Selene finished.

" Huh! And odd Ood," Danny hummed.

" And then I got something else on my… um… communicator thing," Rose decided on, earning a nod from the Doctor.

" Oh, be fair! We've got whole star systems burning up around us. There's all sorts of stray transmissions. Probably nothing." He grabbed a clipboard and went to the top of the stairs. The trio stared at him. Nothing? There was no such thing as 'nothing' anymore. " Look if there was something wrong, then it would show. We monitor the telepathic field. It's the only way to look after them. They're _so stupid_ they don't even tell us when they're ill!" Selene clenched her jaw at his last comment but turned away to face the monitor.

" And this is what monitors the field then?" She asked. With the exception of Danny, they all gathered around the screen, which read 'Basic Five.'

" Yeah, but like I said, it's low-level telepathy. They only register Basic Five," Danny informed.

" Well, that's not Basic Five," The Doctor said as the numbers rose. " Ten… Twenty." The Ood all lifted their heads. The Doctor faced Danny. " They've gone up to Basic Thirty."

" But they can't!"

" Doctor… the Ood," Rose said, voice laced with worry. They all spun and went to the railing as Danny checked the monitor, as the Ood all faced them. " What does Basic Thirty mean?"

" Well, it means they're _shouting, screaming_ inside their heads!"

" Or something's shouting at them…" The Doctor muttered.

" But where's it coming from?" The younger man asked. " What is it saying? I mean—what did it say to _you two?_"

" Something about The Beast in the Pit…" Rose trailed off.

" And about a war against God…" Selene reminded, a distant sound in her voice as the only bit of information she could remember was resurfacing. Red Eye. The Ood were about to obtain Red Eye.

" What about your communicator? What did that say?"

" 'He is awake.'"

" _**And you will worship him,**_" The Ood all answered in unison.

" What the Hell?" Danny asked. The Doctor grasped the railing and again said,

" He is awake."

" _**And you will worship him.**_"

" Worship who?" No answer. " Who's talking to you? Who is it?"

OOOO

Scooti walked into Toby's room saying,

" Toby, I've got your expenditure." She stopped when she noted the lights were off and that he wasn't there. She set a blue book down on the table just as she heard a hiss and the computer say,

" _Open door forty-one._"

" _Close door forty-one._"

" Forty… one…" She bolted from the room and towards door forty-one, which was around the corner. She pressed a button beside the door. " Computer, did you open and close door forty-one?"

" _Confirmed._"

" But that's the airlock. Why would you open the airlock? It's the nightshift, we're not allowed outside. Has someone gone out?"

" _Confirmed._"

" But _who_ was it?" Scooti pressed.

" _Cannot confirm._"

" Okay… but hold on, I know, tell me whose spacesuit's been logged out."

" _No spacesuit has been logged out,_" The computer informed her.

" But… you're not making any sense! You can't go outside without…" Scooti broke off her sentence and she took a step away from the door. Why was she arguing with the computer? It was probably broken. She pressed the button on her comm. system. " Zach, I think we've got a breakdown on door forty-one. It's saying somebody's gone outside onto the planet's surface." She released the button and got static. " Zach?" Static. " Zach!" More static. She quickly pressed the button on the side of the door. " Computer, trace fault."

" _There is no fault._"

" Tell me! Who went through that door?" She demanded.

" _He is awake,_" The computer informed.

" What?"

" _He is awake._"

" What's that supposed to mean?" Scooti asked in complete confusion. She didn't understand what it was supposed to mean. The computer had never said anything of the sort before…

" _He bathes in the black sun._"

Scooti stepped away from the door as a whirring sound signaled the metal plates of a window to its left opening. She stepped over to look though, shocked at what she saw.

Toby, very much alive, stood out on the planet face, head tilted back, legs braced apart, arms away from his sides. Slowly, he turned to look at her, grinning so wide he showed his teeth, eyes still an unbelievable red, the markings still covering his skin.

" Toby…" She muttered. She didn't understand how her fellow crewmember was still alive out there. He should be dead. " But there's no air, there's no…"

Toby continued to grin at Scooti, raising his right hand towards the window, eyes meeting hers. With a finger he seemed to beckon her outside… and for some reason… she became drawn to him. Eyes locked on his, she raised a hand as if to reach through the glass and take his. He still beckoned with his fingers, grin fading in the slightest to a darkened smile.

" No! Stop it! You can't be!" She shouted as she broke out of her trance. The grin completely dropped and he began to slowly clench his fist, the window beginning to crack. Gasping, Scooti ran for a door. " Open door forty! Open door forty!"

Toby's intense gaze followed her as she crouched down, yanking at the door, screaming,

" Open door forty! Open door forty! _OPEN DOOR FORTY!_"

The window shattered and Scooti's hands were ripped from what she held onto and she screamed.

OOOO

The Doctor, Rose and Selene had been inspecting the Ood when everything began to shake.

" Shit!" Danny yelled as the computer sparked, sending him reeling back.

" _Emergency Hull Breach. Emergency Hull Breach,_" The computer repeated.

" Which section!?" Danny yelled into his comm. system.

" _Everyone, evacuate eleven to thirteen. We've got a breach,_" Zach replied. " _The base is open, repeat, the base is open!_"

Soon every single person on the base was running and stumbling through the base, throwing open and slamming shut doors as they all converged in a corridor. As the last door was slammed shut, Toby fell to the ground having been tugged through by Jefferson, skin and eyes completely normal again.

" _Breach sealed. Breach sealed,_" The computer said.

" Is everyone alright!?" The Doctor asked in a panic. " What happened, what was it?"

" _Oxygen levels normal._"

" Hull breach!" Jefferson called out. " We were open to the elements. Another couple of minutes and we'd have been inspecting that black hole close quarters!"

" That wasn't a quake, what caused it?" The Doctor demanded. Rose and Selene noticed Toby kneeling on the ground, shaking as he began to stare at his hands, flipping them over and taking in gasping breaths. Sweat beaded on his forehead and neck and he seemed frightened. Selene quickly knelt and wrapped her arm around his shoulders rubbing his arm, and Rose crouched down to rub his back, both trying to ease his panicked state.

" _We've lost sections eleven to thirteen. Everyone alright?_" Zach asked.

" We've got everyone here except Scooti," Jefferson informed between deep breaths. " Scooti, report," He said into his communicator. Static. " Scooti Manista? That's an order. Report."

There was a tense silence when the young woman didn't respond.

" _She's alright I've picked up her bio-chip. She's in Habitation Three. Better go and check if she's not responding. She might be unconscious,_" Zach told them, much to everyone's relief… but not Selene's. She was slowly regaining some details… and the ones she remembered weren't pleasant. " _How about that, eh? We survived._" Toby checked his hands again.

" Habitation Three. Come on, I don't often say this, but I think we could all do with a drink," Jefferson grumbled, heading to the opposite end of the corridor. " Come on."

The Doctor crouched down in front of Toby, asking,

" What happened?'

" I don't—I don't know. I—I was working and then I can't remember! All-all that noise. The room falling apart. There was no air!" Toby stuttered out in a panicked voice, face pink.

" Come on, let's stand," Selene said as she and Rose helped the man stand.

" Come and have some Protein One," Rose grunted as he leaned his weight on them.

" Ooh, you've gone native!" The Doctor teased.

" Oi, don't knock it, it's nice. Protein One with just a," She clicked her tongue, " dash of Three!"

As they entered Habitation Three, everyone was looking around in confusion. Scooti was no where to be found. Everyone spoke in a jumble of words and phrases that made it impossible to figure out what was going on besides the fact that Scooti was no where to be found. As everyone quieted down, Toby took a seat with the trio of time travelers around him, sighing as Jefferson reported back to Zach.

" Zach, we've got a problem. Scooti's still missing."

" _But it says Habitation Three._"

" Yeah, well, that's were I am, and I'm telling you, she's not here!" Jefferson argued. The Doctor's eyes were drawn to the still exposed glass ceiling and his brows pulled down.

" I've found her," He said grimly.

They all followed his eye sight and the only words spoken were by Rose as she muttered,

" Oh my God…" She covered her mouth and Selene's jaw tightened. Scooti Manista floated outside in space, drifting ever so slowly towards the black hole, eyes still open.

" I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," The Doctor muttered quietly. Everyone in the room felt sick. Completely sick and heart broken.

" Captain…" Jefferson's voice came out gruff and low. " Report. Officer Scootori Manista PKD… Deceased. 43K 2.1."

" She was twenty…" Ida muttered. " Twenty years old…" She rushed over to the lever on the wall and switched it back, the metal shields slowly moving back to obscure the view of the black hole and the last sight of Scooti they'd ever see.

" 'For how should man die better than facing fearful odds, for the ashes of this father… and the temples of his Gods?'" Jefferson muttered sadly.

The constant rumbling they'd all gotten used to suddenly died off.

" It's stopped…" Ida said quietly.

" What was that?" Rose asked, stepping over to the Doctor. " What was it?"

" The drill," He replied.

" We've stopped drilling. We made it—point zero," Ida announced.

OOOO

" _All non-essential Ood to be confined,_" Zach commented over the intercom.

The majority of the crew was gathered in a room directly over the hole where the drilling had been occurring.

" Capsule established. All systems functioning. The mineshaft is go. Bring systems online now," Ida called out, wearing an orange spacesuit, helmet under her arm. The Doctor walked up to Zach, wearing the same spacesuit.

" Reporting as a volunteer for the expeditionary force," He said.

" Doctor… this is breaking _every single _protocol. We don't even know who you are!" Zach reminded him.

" Yeah, but you trust me, don't you? And you can't let Ida go down there on her own. Go on. Look me in the eye. Yes you do, I can see it. _Trust,_" The Doctor replied with a little bit of cheek, smirking in the slightest.

" _I_ should be going down."  
" The Captain doesn't lead the mission. He stays here, in charge."

" Not much good at it, am I?" He asked with a sigh. The Doctor gave him a look, which made him sigh, calling out, " Positions! We're going down in two. Everyone, positions! Mister Jefferson! I want maximum system enhancement."

Rose and Selene stepped over to the Doctor, as he pointed to a gage on his wrist.

" Oxygen, nitro-balance, gravity. It's ages since I wore one of these," He said with a grin.

" I want this spacesuit back in one piece, you got that?" Rose said with a teasing tug on his suit.

" Yes, Sir!" The Doctor began to secure his helmet on.

" It's funny, 'cause people back home think that space travel's gonna be all… whizzing about and teleports and anti-gravity… but it's not is it? It's tough."

" I'll see you both later," He told them.

" Not if we see you first," Rose teased. She giggled quietly and took a hold of his helmet, pulling his head down to kiss the glass above his forehead before letting go, which let Selene give him a tight hug as she whispered,

" Be safe…"

He then disappeared into the rickety elevator-like device that would lower himself and Ida into the pit.

" _Capsule active. Counting down in ten… nine… eight… seven… six… five… four… three… two… one… release,_" Zach counted down over the intercom from command central. Rose and Selene waved to the Doctor one last time before he began to lower down, disappearing into the dark. Selene briefly peered over the edge and shuddered.

" Too damn deep…" She muttered.

They walked over to a control panel, Rose picking up the comm. system and holding it nervously. Selene stood to Toby's left, who was sitting on a box, arms around his knees like a scared child, still shaking and sparing his hands a glance every now and then. Selene had remembered what had happened to him the moment the Hull Breach had been announced, but she wasn't letting that change her opinion of _Toby,_ not the Beast that used him like a speaker, but _Toby Zed,_ the blond Archeologist who was kind and had a nice smile. She rubbed his shoulder giving him a comforting smile as Zach then announced to Ida and the Doctor,

" _You've gone beyond the oxygen field. You're on your own._" The two switched on their oxygen supply

" Don't forget to breathe. Breathing's good," Rose said into the comm.

" _Rose, stay off the comm.,_" Zach told her.

" Fat chance!" She replied. After a few more moments everything shuddered again, causing everyone to grab onto something to continue to be stable. " Doctor? Doctor are you alright?" Rose asked in a panic.

" _Ida, report to me!_" Zach waited in between the pause. " _Doctor!_"

" It's alright, we've made it, we're getting out of the capsule now," The Doctor replied as he switched on a torch, stepping into the darkness of the pit.

" _What's it like down there?_" Rose's voice asked as they looked around the bleak, rocky hole.

" It's hard to tell… it's some sort of… cave? Cavern?" He replied, brows creasing characteristically as he looked around. " It's massive!"

" Well, this should help. Gravity globe," Ida said, tossing a faintly glowing orb into the air, which then stayed suspended, glowing brightly. From that light, they were able to see what looked like carvings and huge arched door-ways. " That's… that's… My God, that's beautiful!"

" Selene… Rose… you can tell Toby we've found his civilization," The Doctor said.

OoOoOoO

" Oi, Toby! Sounds like you've got plenty of work!" Rose called out to him with a laugh and a smile, not noticing how he was still taking shaky breaths as he tried to hug himself tighter and tighter. Selene, however, did, and knelt down beside him, comfortingly rubbing his shoulder. He met her eyes and she could read the fear and confusion in them. She wrapped her arm around his shoulders and quietly rubbed his arm again, hoping to help him relax again.

" Good, good. Good," He muttered, touching and looking at his hands with an almost paranoid nature. Who could blame him, though?

OoOoOoO

" _Concentrate now, people. Keep on the mission,_" Zach urged, sounding excited. "_ Ida… what about the power source?_"

" We're close. Energy signature indicates North-Northwest. Are you getting pictures up there?" Ida asked hopefully as she and the Doctor neared the huge arch. " _There's too much interference. We're in your hands._"

" Well, we've come this far. There's no going back."

" _Oh,_ did you _have_ to? 'No turning back'? That's almost as bad as 'Nothing can possibly go wrong' or 'This is gonna be the best Christmas Walford's ever had!'" The Doctor complained.

" Have you finished?" Ida asked with a strained smile.

" Yeah. Finished."

OoOoOoO

Zach and Danny began a conversation; apparently the Ood weren't responding to Danny's commands and, worst of all, the telepathic field had reached Basic One Hundred, which should be impossible.

" What's Basic One Hundred mean?" Rose asked.

" _They should be dead…_" Danny replied.

" Basic One Hundred's brain death," Jefferson agreed darkly.

" _But they're safe, they're not actually moving?_" Zach asked, hoping for clarification.

" _No, sir,_"

" _Keep watching them. And you, Jefferson, keep a guard on the Ood,_" Zach instructed.

" Officer at arms!" Jefferson commanded to his two guards.

" Yes, Sir," One replied.

OoOoOoO

" Isn't it a tad dangerous to fire a gun in here? This place looks like it's just ready to let the bullets ricochet," Selene said, nodding to the walls. " Not to mention what happened with that Hull Breach not too long ago."

" I'm firing Stock Fifteen, only impacts upon organics," He replied, loading his gun.

" Comforting," Selene muttered.

" Keep watch, guard them," He ordered a female guard.

" Yes, Sir," She replied.

" _Is everything alright up there?_" The Doctor's voice asked.

" Yeah, yeah," Rose lied.

" _It's fine,_" Zach assured.

" _Great!_" Danny said cheerfully.

OoOoOoO

The Doctor and Ida came across a large, metal, circular thing embedded in the ground.

" We've found something," He informed, stepping onto it. " It looks like metal, like some sort of seal. I've got a _nasty_ feeling the word might be 'trapdoor.' Not a good word 'trapdoor.' Never met a trapdoor I liked."

" The edge is covered with those symbols!" Ida exclaimed, shining her light at the symbols on the edge.

" _Do you think it opens?_" Zach questioned.

" That's what trapdoors tend to do," The Doctor replied with a frown. The things seemed to hate him and love making him fall through them, it was usually very unpleasant.

" 'Trapdoor' doesn't do it justice! It's massive, Zach! About… thirty feet in diameter!" Ida sounded excited beyond belief. That moment was what they'd all been waiting for.

" _Any way of opening it?_"

" I don't know. I can't see any sort of mechanism."

" I suppose that's the writing. It'll tell us what to do. The letters that defy translation," The Doctor said stepping off the metal door.

OoOoOoO

" _Toby, did you get anywhere with decoding it?_" Zach asked.

" Toby, they need to know that lettering, does it make any sort of sense?" Rose asked, and Selene stood, feeling Toby tense up drastically, bowing his head and curling his arms so they covered his face, his hands touching the backs of his shoulders, elbows resting on his knees. Her brows furrowed.

" Toby?" She asked slowly.

" I know what it says," He told them, his voice almost sing-song and like he knew a secret none of them did.

" Then tell them," Rose said, sounding a bit confused.

" When did you work that out?" Jefferson demanded.

" It doesn't matter! Just tell them!"

Toby bent forward dropping his arms as he slowly looked over at them. The symbols marked his skin again, his eyes were that startling crimson and his lips and ears had a bluish tinge to them again.

" These are the words of the Beast," He said in a deep voice that wasn't his own. Rose took a step back before lunging forward to try and pull Selene back as Toby slowly rose. Everyone stared at him in shock. " And he has woken." He began to step towards them and Selene backed into Rose, ending up right by Jefferson's side as he rushed forward, gun aimed at the archeologist. " He is the heart that beats in the darkness, he is the blood that will ever cease. And now, he will rise!" Toby then grinned, head tilted down so he gave an intimidating stare.

" Officer, you stand down. Stand down!" Jefferson shouted. Toby's grin faded as he eyed the man.

OoOoOoO

" What is it, what's he done?" The Doctor asked in a panic, stepping away from Ida. He heard a buzz of static and nothing else. " What's happening? Rose! Selene! What's going on!?"

OoOoOoO

" Jefferson?" Zach asked back at command central as the intercom gave out. " Report. Report!" He hit buttons to try and get it back, but nothing worked.

OoOoOoO

" Officer, as Commander of Security, you will stand down and be confined immediately!" Jefferson ordered as Toby stretched his arms and rolled his head, causing his neck to pop, like he was getting used to being in his own body.

" He's come out in all those symbols on his face, they're all over him!" Rose muttered into the intercom.

" Toby, Toby, listen! Snap out of it, I know you can!" Selene talked to him, as he slightly bared his teeth, rolling his head around one more time before stepping forward again.

" Mr. Jefferson, tell me, Sir… Did your wife ever forgive you?" Toby's lips moved but once again, a voice that was not his own spoke, deep and evil.

" I don't know what you mean," Jefferson whispered.

" Let me tell you a secret… she never did!"

" Officer… you stand down and be confined!"

" Or _what?_" He snarled.

" Or, under the structures of Condition Red, I am authorized to shoot you!" Jefferson said, readying his gun with a tight jaw.

" But how man can you kill?" He inquired, not just eyeing Selene but yanking her forward and to his chest, clearly stating if Jefferson shot him, he'd shoot her as well. Selene's panicked breath caught as she eyed the barred of the gun less than a foot away from her. Toby's hands held her upper arms like a vice and she shot Rose a look that clearly said to not help her. If she was going to be killed, she wouldn't let the Doctor be alone. Toby smirked and then opened his mouth, eyes glowing and all the symbols began to float off his skin in black streaks of smoke, curling like snakes, all flying to the Ood that stood to the side, being absorbed.

Toby suddenly gasped and coughed, hands falling slack from Selene's arms before he dropped, passing out, Selene ran back towards Jefferson and Rose as the Ood stared at them with glowing red eyes.

_This is it…_ Selene thought to herself.

" _**We are the legion of the beast,**_" Every single Ood on the Base said in the deep voice they all began to fear.

OoOoOoO

" Rose? What is it? Selene!?" The Doctor demanded, hating having to be left in the dark. He looked at Ida. " I'm going back up!"

" _Report. Report!_" Zach's voice said.

OoOoOoO

" Jefferson! Report!" He looked around the empty room. " Someone REPORT!"

OoOoOoO

" _**The Legion shall be man, and the legion shall be few,**_" The Ood spoke.

" It's the Ood," Rose said softly into the comm.

" Sir, we have contamination of the livestock…" Jefferson said into his comm. system.

" Doctor, I don't know what it is," Rose continued. " It's—it's like they're possessed!"

" They won't listen to us…"

OoOoOoO

"_** He has woven himself in the fabric of your life since the dawn of time. Some may call him Abbadon. Some may call him Krop Tor. Some may call him Satan,**_" All the Ood spoke. In the compound, one of them walked up the steps towards Danny and a guard and they watched in shock and horror and confusion, unsure what to do. The guard ran to the steps and Danny ran to the intercom.

" Sir, it's the Ood!"

" _**... Or the Bringer of Despair…**_"

" They're out of control!"

" _**The Deathless Prince, the Bringer of Night.**_"

The Ood stopped in front of Danny and the guard, who was about to shoot when the sphere in the Ood's hand flew out and hit his forehead, promptly electrocuting him.

" _**These are the words that shall set him free.**_"

Danny bolted from the room.

OoOoOoO

" Back up to the door!" Jefferson shouted, gun aimed at the Ood. Rose and Selene and the female guard backed up towards the door as the Ood continued to advance.

" _**I shall become manifest…**_"

" Move quickly!"

" _**I shall walk in might…**_"

" To the door! Get it open!" He shouted.

" _**My Legions shall swarm and swell across the worlds…**_"

OoOoOoO

The pit began to shake.

The Doctor stumbled on his way back to the capsule.

The trapdoor clanked and the center dropped…

" Doctor!" Ida called out. " It's opening!"

Managing to stumble back, the Doctor watched on as the rest of the door opened in segments revealing a deeper, darer pit…

OoOoOoO

Zach fell off his chair and grabbed onto the console as everything shook again.

" We're moving! The whole… thing's moving! That planet's moving!" He began to open the shields of the roof, staring up at the sky. " The gravity field… it's going! W-we're loosing orbit! We're gonna fall into the black hole!"

OoOoOoO

" _**I am the sin and the temptation and the desire. I am the pain and the loss.**_"

" Get that door OPEN!"

Selene began to pull on the handle hands slipping slightly.

" _**… And the dead will come. I have been imprisoned for eternity. But no more!**_"

" _Door sealed. Door sealed._" They were all backed up against the door and pounding against it to no avail… the Ood got closer and closer…

OoOoOoO

"** The Pit is open. And I am **_**free**_**!"**

OoOoOoO

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

_**Afterword:**__** Hate me for the late update and the TO BE CONTINUED? XD Aha! I know you do, but you also love me… right? I hope so! Anway, I hope you liked it! We saw a different side of Selene! Sassy, sarcastic Selene! And jealous too! And also, what is UP with those headaches of hers? Only time will tell…**_

_**REVIEW REPLIESSSS!**_

**grapejuice101: **_I'm glad you like it and glad you think they're cute together! Hope you liked the chapter! Thanks again!_

** :**_ I'm glad you pointed out that she was becoming Mary-Sue-ish, I tried to steer her away from that in this chapter, but I'm not sure if I did… anyway, I'm glad you've enjoyed it thus far! Thanks again!_

**notwritten:**_ I'm glad you like it! Thanks again!_

**DoubleHeartedHuman:**_ Your review made me smile so much! Ahhh! Thank you so, so much! Yeah, I think that even though she knows she's already fallen for him now, she's still trying to convince herself she hasn't XD I hope you enjoyed the update! Thanks again so much!_

**Whyna Katran:**_ It's fine, I understand not everyone can get online or remember XD But I'm glad you've been enjoying the updates! Thanks again so much!_

**The Yoshinator:**_ When they were talking about Toby the Doctor didn't seem too keen on the idea of them together… hm… XD I wonder what this means! Aha! Lolz, well thanks again so much for the review! Hope you enjoyed!_

_**And thank you to those who have added this to their story alerts or favorites! It means so much!  
Okay, if any of the line divisions are off, I'm sorry, my computer freaked out and did weird things then didn't let me delete them… so… yeeaaahhh….**_

_** What did you guys think of that original scene between Selene and Toby? It randomly came into my head today when I stayed home sick, but I hope it isn't weird or anything… Anyway, thanks again you guys! Let me know what you think!**_

_**~Mary**_


	8. The Satan Pit

_Disclaimer:__ I do not own Doctor Who (the show, including planets, aliens, creatures and anything else of their design) or any of the characters. I only own my OC Selene._

8. The Satan Pit

** " ****I am the sin and the temptation and the desire. I am the pain and the loss**_**.**_**"**

_** " Get that door OPEN!"**_

_** Selene began to pull on the handle hands slipping slightly.**_

_** " **_**… And the dead will come. I have been imprisoned for eternity. But no more!**_**"**_

_** " **_Door sealed. Door sealed._**" They were all backed up against the door and pointing against it to no avail… the Ood got closer and closer…**_

_**OoOoOoO**_

_** " The Pit is open. And I am **_**free!**_**"**_

OoOoOoO

" Open fire!" Jefferson shouted, eyes narrowed with determination. He and the other officer lifted their guns and shot at the Ood, Rose and Selene pressing against the cold metal door to get as far away from the gunfire as possible.

" _We're stabilizing… we have orbit!_" Zach announced over the intercom system. The Ood dropped, eyes shutting, completely still. With the dangers gone, Rose jumped the steps and the bodies and ran for the intercom.

" Doctor!?" She asked in a panic. She only got feedback and nothing else. " Doctor can you hear me!? Doctor, Ida, are you there?"

Selene bolted away from the door as the wheel spun on it, heading right for Toby again, who was still in an unconscious heap on the floor.

" It's me!" Danny yelled out as he ran through the door. " But they're coming. It's the Ood." He began to spin the lock closed. " They've gone mad."

" How many of them?" Jefferson asked.

" All of them! All fifty!" Danny's voice jumped an octave for a moment in the panic driven state he was in.

" Danny, out of the way. Out of the way!"

" But they're armed!" The older man shoved him aside and reopened the door. " It's the interface device! I don't know how, but they're using it as a weapon!"

When the door opened, just as Danny said, the first Ood in the doorway used its interface device to kill the female security guard. Screaming, she dropped dead. Jefferson aimed and shot at all the Ood in the door, hoping to push them back. Zach called for lockdown on the doors, and then asked,

" _Jefferson, what's happening there?_"

" I've got very little ammunition, Sir, how about you?" Jefferson asked into the communicator on his wrist.

" _All I've got is a bolt gun. With, uh, all of one bolt. I could take out a grand total of __**one**__ Ood. Fat lot of good that is._"

" Given the emergency I recommend Strategy Nine."

" _Strategy Nine agreed. Right. We need to get everyone together. Rose, what about Ida and the Doctor, any word?_" Zach asked.

Rose was standing with the blank intercom in hand, biting her lip viciously in worry. Panic rose in her throat with an uncomfortable sensation… almost like she was about to be sick. She shook her head.

" I can't get a reply, just… nothing," She said. " I keep trying but it's…"

" _No, sorry, I'm fine!_" The Doctor's voice rang out. " _Still here!_"

" Give us a heart attack why don't you!" Selene called out, knowing Rose's thumb was still pushed on the talk button.

" You could have said, you stupid—"

OoOoOoO

Feedback rang sharply in the Doctor's ear.

" Whoa! Careful! Anway, it's both of us, me and Ida, hello!" He said on a rather cheerful note… with a rather serious face. " But the seal opened up. It's gone. All we've got left is this… chasm."

The duo stared at the darker than night pit that was less than a few feet in front of them. The rock was sandy and barely looked like it would hold stable if weight was put on it.

" _How deep is it?_" Zach asked them.

" Can't tell. It looks like it goes down forever."

" _'The pit is open.' That's what the voice said,_" Rose pointed out with a nervous tone. Anything a mysterious voice says is usually never good, and that paired with a deep, dark pit of seemingly nothingness, the odds didn't look good.

" _But there's nothing, I mean… there's nothing coming out?_" Zach inquired again.

" No, no, no sign of _the Beast_…" The Doctor assured them.

" _It said 'Satan.'_" Rose's voice sounded shaky, teary. He knew she was probably worried and scared beyond belief…

" Come on, Rose. Keep it together."

" _Is there no such thing?_" He didn't reply. " _Doctor. Tell me there is no such thing._"

" _Ida? I recommend you withdraw immediately,_" Zach told her.

" But we've come all this way!" She protested with a sigh.

" _Okay, that was an __**order.**__ Withdraw._ _When that thing opened, the whole planet shifted. One more inch, and we fall into the black hole! So this thing stops right now!_"

" But it's not much better up there with the Ood!" Ida shot back strongly.

" _I'm initiating Strategy Nine! So I need you both back up top immediately, no ar-_"

The intercom cut off with the click of a button.

Ida, who'd shut it off, looked back at the Doctor.

" What do you think?" She asked him.

" He gave an order…" He pointed out, peering down into the pit.

" Yeah, but… what do _you_ think?"

The Doctor put a knee up on the outer metal rim of the opening and began to think.

" It said 'I am the temptation'…"

" I-if there's something in there… why is it still hiding?" Ida's voice began to attain a nervous edge to it.

" Maybe… we opened a prison, but not the cell…" He mused, the lights inside his helmet illuminating the distant thinking look that his features held.

" We should go down… I'd go. What about you?" She asked, smiling. The Doctor scoffed slightly and his nose scrunched up a bit.

" Oh, oh, in a _second,_ but then again…" He chuckled and looked over at her. " That is so human. 'Where angels fear to tread.' Even now, standing on the edge… It's that feeling you get. Yeah? Right at the back of your head… That impulse… that strange little impulse… That mad little voice saying 'go on, go on, go on, go over, go on.' Maybe it's relying on that. For once in my life, Officer Scott… I'm going to say… _retreat._" He sighed and stood straight. " Now I _know_ I'm getting old."

OoOoOoO

Toby groaned quietly as he felt consciousness rush back into his head. His eyes fluttered open… and Selene noticed they were back to their normal blue. She helped him sit up, shifting her weight to sit on her heels in order to do so. He glanced at her, remembering what that… _thing_ had him do. Put her in front of the gun. She didn't look upset or frightened… just worried.

" _Rose, we're coming back,_" The Doctor's voice said over the intercom.

" Best news I've heard all day!" Rose exclaimed, smiling broadly. She set the intercom down, noticing as Jefferson cocked his gun, stony faced and aimed it right at Toby.

" What're you doing?" Rose asked confused. Toby scrambled backwards, staring up at Jefferson in horror. His hand was gripping Selene's, sure that he was about to die.

" He's infected. He brought that thing on board. You saw it," Jefferson announced.

" Are you going to start shooting your own people now?" Rose asked, appalled. She walked over, Danny not too far behind. " Is that what you're going to do? Is it?"

" If I have to."

" Then shoot us 'if necessary' as well. You don't even know if he _did_ bring it on board," Selene pointed out, keeping herself at Toby's side. " Besides, you saw what happened, didn't you? It transferred to the Ood. He's clean. No symbols, no red eyes. Gone."

Toby, gasping for breath, stared up at the man he'd known for so long.

" Any sign of trouble, I'll shoot him," Jefferson settled on, taking the aim of his gun off the blond man. Rose crouched down beside Toby as the man walked away asking,

" You alright?"

" Yeah… dunno…" He muttered, mind still spinning.

" Can you remember anything?"

" Just… it was _so angry…_ It was… fury and rage and death." He paused and stared at Rose. " It was him." He looked over to Selene, realization hitting him hard. " It was the Devil."

" Give me a hug…" Selene whispered softly, pulling him into an embrace. One of Toby's arms wrapped around his shoulder as he stared around frantically. She rubbed his back and let her chin rest on his shoulder. Selene could feel the terror coursing through his body, causing him to shake.

" _Okay, we're in, bring us up,_" Ida's voice said. Rose stood and walked over to the control panel Selene following after she made sure Toby was sitting up properly.

" Ascension in three… two… one…" He hit the switch.

The power crackled out.

" **This is the darkness. This is **_**my**_** domain,**" Said a deep voice, being vocalized by all the Ood. Toby looked around in horror, knowing the Beast was speaking. " **You little things that live in the light, clinging to your feeble suns, which die in the end.**"

" _That's not the Ood!_" Zach exclaimed. " _Something's talking through them_."

" **Only the darkness remains.**"

" _This is Captain Zachary Cross Flane, of Sanctuary Base Six, representing the Torchwood archive. You __**will**__ identify yourself._"

" **You know my name…**" It said smugly.

" _What do you want?_" Zach demanded.

" **You will die here, all of you. This planet is your grave.**"

" It's him. It's him. It's him," Toby repeated. He hugged himself and began to rock back and forth, panic overcoming his face.

" _If you are the Beast, answer me this: which one, hmm?_" The Doctor inquired. " _'Cause the universe has been busy since you've been gone. There's more religions than there is planets in the sky! The Arkiphetes, Quoldonity, Christianity, Pash-Pash, New Judaism, San Claar, Church of the Tin Vagabond. Which Devil are you?_"

" **ALL of them**."

" _What then your… The truth behind the myth?_"

" **This one knows me. As I know **_**him**_**. The **_**killer**_** of his own kind.**" The Beast hissed.

OoOoOoO

The Doctor's brow furrowed at the words. He'd lie if he said a bit of worry didn't spring up inside him.

" How'd you end up on this rock?" The Doctor asked, staring at the monitor, which showed security footage of all the Ood, speaking for the Beast.

" **The Disciples of the Light rose up against me and chained me in the pit for all eternity.**"

" When was this?"

" **Before time.**" It responded.

" What does _that_ mean!?" The Doctor demanded.

" **Before time.**"

" What does 'before time' mean!?"

" **Before time and light and space and matter. Before the cataclysm. Before THIS universe was created.**" It clarified. The Doctor's brows arched.

" That's impossible. No life could have existed back then," He retorted calmly.

" **Is that your religion?**"

" It's a _belief._"

" **You know nothing. All of you. So small…**"

OoOoOoO

" **The Captain so scared of command…**"

Zach's eyes dropped downward and he felt his skin go cold.

OoOoOoO

" **The Soldier… haunted by the eyes of his wife…**"

Jefferson felt his heartbeat quicken and guilt rush over him.

OoOoOoO

" **The Scientist, still running from daddy…**"

Ida had to hold back her gasp, but couldn't contain the look of shock that overcame her face.

OoOoOoO

" **The Little Boy who lied…**"

Danny's brows, which had been creased, relaxed as he gulped.

" **The Virgin…**"

Toby turned his head towards the voice and shrunk more into himself.

" **The Girl who doesn't belong… Who finds herself longing to be accepted…**"

Selene covered her mouth with a hand, hoping the tears that stung her eyes wouldn't spill over.

" **The Lost Girl **_**so**_** far away from home… The Valliant Child who will die in battle so very soon.**"

Rose stared at the monitor in absolute terror. She slowly raised the intercom.

" Doctor, what does that mean?" She asked shakily.

" _Rose… Selene… Don't listen,_" The Doctor implored.

" What does it mean?"

" **You will die… And I will live,**" The Beast said, the screens of the monitors now holding the image of a completely red creature with horns, growling and roaring. Rose jumped back from the screen, and Selene stared in shock.

" What the _hell_ was that?" Danny asked.

" I heard that _thing_ inside my head!" Toby told them.

" Doctor, what did it mean?" Rose asked again.

" What do we do? Jefferson!" Danny said in a panic.

" Captain, what's the situation on Strategy Nine?" Jefferson inquired.

" The orbit, the planet, the black hole… everything's true!" Toby exclaimed.

" We _can't___believe anything it says, it just wants to scare us!" Selene tried to reason, but the tears that had rolled down her cheeks didn't support her logic. She rubbed them off her now pink skin and tried to drown out all the sound everyone was making.

" _Stop!_" The Doctor tried to reason, but everyone kept talking. After another moment a loud range of feedback rang out. " _You want voices in the dark then listen to mine! That thing is playing on very basic fears—darkness, childhood, nightmares, all that stuff._"

" But that's how the Devil works!" Danny protested strongly.

" _**Or**__ a good psychologist._"

" _But how did it know about my father?_" Ida demanded.

" _Okay, but what makes his version of truth any better than mine, hmm? 'Cos I'll tell you what I can see. Humans. Brilliant humans! Humans who can travel all the way across space, flying in a tiny little rocket right into the orbit of a black hole! Just for the sake of discovery, that's amazing! Do you hear me, amazing! All of you! The captain, his officer, his elder, his juniors, his friends! All with one advantage. The Beast is alone. We are __**not**__. If we can use that to fight against him—_" The Doctor's rousing speech was cut off as the cable for the lift snapped.

As a puff of dust rose out from the pit, Rose shouted into the intercom,

" Doctor! We lost the cable! Doctor, are you alright? Doctor!"

" _Coms are down. I've still got life signs, but we've lost the capsule. There's no way out,_" Zach announced, with Rose still trying to get a response. " _They're stuck down there._"

Everyone, except Toby, crowded around the top of the hole, staring down into the darkness.

" But we've got to bring them back!" Rose insisted.

" They're ten miles down, we haven't got another ten miles of cable," Jefferson deadpanned.

" Thank you, Señor Sunshine," Selene spat at him. " There has to be _some way_ of getting them back up." Just as Jefferson was about to make some sort of retort, the door had a vicious bang on it. They all spun towards it, worried that it would break and the Ood would come spilling in.

" Captain…" Jefferson muttered into his communicator. " Situation report…"

" _It's the Ood…_" Zach sighed. " _They're cutting through the door bolts, they're breaking in…_"

" Yeah, it's the same on door twenty five."

" How long before night of the red-eye Ood commences?" Selene asked as Rose bit her nail.

" Well, it's only a basic frame. It should take ten minutes," Jefferson responded, they're spat only moments ago put on the back burner. _**THUD**_. " Eight."

" _I've got a security frame, it might last a bit longer, but that doesn't help you._"

" Right. So, we've got to stop them or get out… or both," Rose resolved.

" I'll take both, yeah? But _how_?" Danny asked, pessimism leaking into his voice.

" You heard the Doctor. Why do you think that thing cut him off?" Rose asked.

" 'Cause he was being _smart_. He was right. It didn't want him telling us what to do. We need to think our way out," Selene said, crossing her arms.

" Come on! For starters, we need some lights. There's got to be some sort of power somewhere," Rose exclaimed, voice turning authoritative.

" _There's nothing I can do! Some captain, stuck in here, pressing buttons!_" Zach said, voice filled with self-loathing.

" That's what the Doctor meant," Rose said.

" Press the right buttons," She and Selene said in unison.

" _They've gutted the generators!_" A pause. " _But the __**rocket's**__ got an independent supply. If I could reroute that… Mr. Jefferson, open the bypass conduits, override the safety._"

Jefferson pulled Danny out of his way and began to press buttons.

" Opening bypass conduits, Sir."

" _Channeling rocket feed in three… two… one… Power!_"

The lights popped back on.

Rose clapped.

" There we go," She said.

" Let there be light!" Danny said with a smile.

" What about Strategy Nine?" Selene asked, tossing hair from her face. Headache was still pushing on the sides of her head, but it was easy enough to ignore now… more important things were begging attention.

" Not enough power, needs one hundred percent," Jefferson informed, gun still at the ready.

" Well, let's look for a way out, shall we? Zach, Mr. Jefferson, work on it," Selene said, gesturing around. She and Rose turned to Toby.

" Toby, what about you?" Rose asked as they walked over.

" I'm not a soldier," He sputtered, scrambling to his feet unsteadily. " I can't do anything.

" But you're an archeologist," Selene pointed out, smiling a bit.

" What do you know about the pit?" Rose continued.

" Well n-nothing, we can't even translate the language," Toby complained.

" Right…" Rose mumbled, turning away and pulling Selene with her.

" No, h-hold on! Maybe."  
" Maybe?"

" It's been inside your head. Think it might have left anything behind?" Selene suggested. He nodded quickly, sucking in a breath.

" The letters do seem to make more sense," He admitted.

" Then get to it!" Selene patted his arm.

" Anything you can translate, just… anything," Rose agreed. She spun to look at Danny. " Anyway, Danny boy, you're in charge of the Ood! Any way of stopping them?"

" Well… I don't know." He sighed and looked away.

" Then find out." Rose dragged him by the sleeve over to the control panel. " The sooner we get control of base, the sooner we can get the Doctor out. Now get going. Shift." She smacked his arm lightly and went to look into the pit, Selene soon at her side.

Selene's hands were laced together, long fingers pressing tightly together. Having been taken to church quite frequently when she was younger, she remembered this episode as being one of the freakiest to her. And, in real life, it was worse. She hadn't expected the Beast to say anything about _her…_ and yet it did. It gave her an ice-cold chill, just like when Mr. Finch spoke about her back when they faced the Krillitanes.

" You alright?" Rose asked quietly, keeping the conversation between them. Laughing humorlessly, Selene shrugged.

" I honestly don't know," She said, scrubbing a hand through her hair again.

" Is… is what that… _thing_ said true? That you feel out of place?" Rose's eyes were trained on her friend's face, worry clear in her eyes. Selene wondered if she should say yes, say that it was right. That she did feel out of place, out of luck, or, like Danny had said probably less than an hour before 'the third wheel.' But the situation was already too serious, so she shrugged and tried to pull a half smile onto her lips.

" Comes and goes I suppose. We should see how Jefferson's doing on rerouting the energy…" Selene trailed off, turning away from the pit and her blond friend, making her way towards the leather-clad man.

" Open junctions five, six, seven." _**THUD.**_ " Reroute filters sixteen to twenty four, go." The machine beeped as it began to do just that.

" There's all sorts of viruses that could stop the Ood. Trouble is, we haven't got them on board," Danny grumbled.

" Well, that's handy, listing things we haven't got," Rose said wryly, crossing her arms. " We haven't got a swimming pool, either,"

" Which we do have in the TARDIS," Selene pointed out for the hell of it. And it was true; it may have been an on running thing in the series mentioning odd rooms that the TARDIS had… but the pool was a complete truth. It liked to move on occasion though…

" Or a Tesco's." Rose arched a brow at Danny.

The computer beeped again and the angered look on his face shifted into one of absolute shock.

" Oh my God. It says yes! I can do it! Hypothetically. If you flip the monitor, broadcast a flare, it can disrupt the telepathy! Brainstorm!" Danny exclaimed joyously. Rose's eyes widened and she leaned towards him.

" What happens to the Ood?"

" Well, it'll tank them. Spark out!"

" Well then, do it, Dan!" Selene said as Rose grinned.

" Okay! No… but… I'd have to transmit from the central monitor. We need to go to Ood habitation." Danny sighed again, shaking his head.

Another thud as the door continued to break.

" That's what we'll do then," Rose decided, patting the man on the back. " Mr. Jefferson, _Sir!_" She slid over to him. " Any way out?"

" Just about. There's a network of maintenance tunnels running underneath the base. We should be able to gain access from here," He explained, nodding to a diagram on the screen.

" Ventilation shaft," Rose said, smiling.

" Yeah, I appreciate the reference, but there's no ventilation—well, no air in fact, at all. They were designed for machines, not life forms."

_**THUD.**_

" _Yeah, but I can manipulate the oxygen field from here. Create discreet pockets of atmosphere. If I can control it manually, I can follow you through the network,_" Zach offered, obviously thinking it was the only way to do it.

" So we'll go down, you make sure the air stays with us and we don't suffocate?" Selene reiterated.

" _You wanted me pressing buttons._"

" Yep, we asked for it, okay, we need to get to Ood habitation. Work out a route," Rose told the captain, shoving her hands in her pockets. The day was just getting better…

OoOoOoO

The Doctor and Ida, after hauling a drum with the lift cable to the pit and deciding the Doctor would be descending into said hole, were preparing for the little excursion.

" That should hold it," Ida said after adjusting and fixing the drum into the ground. " How's it holding?"

" Fine. Should work." The Doctor held onto the cable, which was attached to the harness on his suit. " Doesn't feel like such a good idea now…" He said, peering into the pit. He stepped up on the metal edge and laughed. " Ha! There it is again-that itch. Go down, go down, go down, go down, go down…" He sounded slightly insane, but when was that a first?

" The urge to jump…" Ida looked up at him. " Do you know where that urge comes from, that sensation? Genetic heritage. Ever since we were primates in the trees. It's our body's way of testing us, calculating whether or not we can reach the next branch," Ida explained, fixing up the last bits of what was securing the cable to the drum and the drum to the ground. The Doctor shook his head.

" No, that's not it. That's… _too kind_. It's not the urge to jump. It's deeper than that. It's the urge to fall!" He grabbed onto the cable and jumped backwards, plummeting into the pit.

" Doctor!" Ida called out, having to yank the break of the drum on to stop the cable from unwinding too fast. " You okay?"

" Not bad thanks," He told her, looking around. He took in the walls around him and underneath him… or… lack there of. " The walls of the pit seems to be the same as the cavern, just… not much of it." He shone his flashlight downwards. " There's a… crust about twenty feet down then nothing—just the pit. Okay then… lower me down."

" Well, here we go then," Ida said, hitting a switch and letting the cable slowly unwind, lowering the Doctor further into the unknown.

OoOoOoO

" Danny!" Rose shouted as they lifted up a piece of grating in the floor, which led to the maintenance tunnels.

" Hold on!" He responded, still typing away.

" Danny, we've got to go now, come on!" Jefferson shouted, pointing the gun at the door, which was about to break down at any moment.

" Yeah!" Danny said as the computer beeped. He yanked a circuit looking card and grinned. " Put _that_ in the monitor and it's a bad time to be an Ood!" Once he joined them, Rose put an arm around him.

" We're coming back. You got that? We're coming back to this room and we're getting the Doctor out," Rose said.

" Okay, Danny, you go first, then you, Miss Tyler, then you, Selene and then Toby. I'll go last in defensive position," Jefferson ordered, everyone beginning to slide in. Danny dropped down, Rose soon to follow as the door continued to buckle and spark. " Now come on! Quick as you can!"

Selene dropped down, falling immediately onto all fours in the tunnels. Once she landed, she moved out of the way to let Toby drop down. He was much more coherent; he didn't shake any more and he'd stopped looking around like a madman.

" Which way do we go?" She heard Danny ask.

" _Just go straight ahead. Keep going till I say so,_" Zach told them.

Jefferson dropped down just in time, slamming the grating closed above them. They began to crawl, one in front of the other, down the cramped metal tunnels, waiting for Zach's word. Rose glanced up in front of her, only to see Danny's backside right in her face.

" Not your best angle, Danny," She teased him.

" Oi! Stop it!" He complained. Toby, directly behind Selene, glanced down at _her_ bottom, to which he smirked slightly.

" I don't know, it could be worse," He said.

" Oi!" Selene called back at him, earning a full smirk from the archeologist.

" _Straight on till you find Junction 7.1. Keep breathing; I'm feeding you air. I've got you._"

They crawled in silence, knowing that way the air would last longer; it was an unspoken fear all of them were thinking. That the air would run out. The next unspoken fear was mutually agreed on as well; death by Ood would _not_ be a pleasant experience. At Junction 7.1, they all shifted to crouch or sit, catching their breath. After a second, there was a zapping sound as Danny switched his communicator again.

" We're at 7.1, Sir," He informed.

" _Okay, I've got you,_" Zach told them. " _I'm just aerating the next section._"

" Getting kind of cramped, Sir. Can't you hurry up?" Danny complained.

" _I'm working on half power here!_"

" Stop complaining!" Jefferson drawled, leaning against the side of the air vent. Selene, half leaning against Toby, half leaning against the wall, pointed at him, sucking in another breath.

" For once, I agree with you, Mr. Jefferson," She told him with a smile.

" Mr. Jefferson says stop complaining," Rose relayed the information.

" I heard…

" He heard!"

" We all did," Selene pointed out. The cramped quarters, the number of voices and the thin air were bringing the headache back. A cranky Selene in a small tunnel probably wouldn't bode well.

" Okay w-well the air's getting a bit thin," Toby said into his communicator.

" _He's_ complaining now," Rose sighed, blond hair falling in messy strands around her face.

" I heard," Jefferson grumbled.

" Can we please stop talking? That'll make the 'thin air' situation a _bit_ better maybe?" Selene suggested, pushing the sleeves of her sweater up to her elbow.

Rose, rolling her eyes at her friend, sniffed and made a face.

" Is that you, Danny?" She asked.

" I'm not exactly happy!" He grumbled.

" _I'm just moving the air. I've got to oxygenate the next section,_" Zach told them to end their complaining session. " _Now keep calm, or it's going to feel worse._"

Something clattered around in the vents, not too far away.

" What was that?" Danny asked as Jefferson shifted to hold his gun, aiming it down the empty tunnel.

" Mr. Jefferson, what was that?" Rose asked louder.

" Sounded like something falling," Selene muttered.

" What was that noise?" Toby reiterated.

" Captain, what was that?" Jefferson asked.

" _The junction in habitation five has been opened. It must be the Ood. They're in the tunnels!_"

" Open the gate!" Danny said in a panic.

" _I've got to get the air in!_"

" Just open it, Sir!"

" Where are they, are they close?" Rose called out.

" _I don't know, I can't tell. I can't see them. The computer doesn't register Ood as proper life-forms!_" Zach informed with a slightly annoyed voice.

" Who's idea was that?" Rose asked, brows creasing in absolute confusion. Danny shifted uncomfortably and yelled,

" Open the gate!" He was close to hysterics.

" It was _your_ idea wasn't it!?" Selene shot at him, to which he just waved his hands at her in a way to tell her to shut up.

The gate flew up and they began to crawl like mad.

" _Danny, turn left. Immediate left!_"

" The Ood, Sir! Can't you trap them? Cut off their air?" Jefferson inquired, sliding backwards, gun still aimed.

" _Not without cutting off yours._" Zach informed in a monotone. " _Danny, turn right. Go right. Go fast, Dan! They're going to catch up!_"

" I'll maintain defensive position!" Jefferson called out.

" You can't, stop!" Rose shouted, stopping.

" Miss Tyler, that's my job! You've got your task, see to it," He told her, stopping and turning to face the currently empty tunnel, gun at the ready.

" You heard what he said, now shift!" Toby called up to Rose. Rose reluctantly moved, allowing the rest of the line to keep moving. The sounds of rapid gunfire echoed out behind them as they stopped at the next junction.

" 8.2. Open 8.2, Zach!" Danny shouted. " Open 8.2!"

" _I've got to aerate it!_"

" OPEN IT NOW!"

" _**I'm trying!**_"

Danny began to bang on the gate, as if it was going to help open the metal slate. Selene reached out and grabbed his wrists, making him look at her.

" That isn't going to help, Danny. I wish it did, but it doesn't. So don't waste your strength. Lord knows we really need every bit of energy we have," Selene told him. It was probably the first few sentences she'd said to him that didn't involve an insult or some sort of sass. With the reverberating sound of gunfire and thin air, Selene suddenly felt woozy and fell into the side of the tunnel, head whizzing. Toby put an arm over her shoulders to keep her up right and then activated his communicator.

" Zach, get it open!" He told the captain, staring down the tunnel in fear.

" _Jefferson, I've got to open 8.2 by closing 8.1,_" Zach said quickly. " _You've got to get past the junction. Now move!_" A pause as Jefferson didn't do as told. " _That's an __**order**__, now __**move!**_"

Jefferson was using all he had. Both guns were out of ammunition. The Ood were crawling fast over the bodies of their fallen brothers. He tossed the pistol and began to slide backwards again.

" _I'm going to loose oxygen, Jefferson, I can't stop for your dramatics!_"

The gate lifted as Jefferson started to move again.

" _Danny, turn left and head for 9.2. That's the last one,_" Zach informed again. " _Jefferson, you've got to move faster! John, move!_" The gates began to close…

" Mr. Jefferson, you can do it!" Selene called out, already knowing full well he wouldn't. Toby's hand pushed her forward.

" Keep going!" He told her.

BAM.

The gate shut.

" Regret to inform, Sir… I was a bit slow," Jefferson panted, leaning against the gate. " Not so fast these days."

" _I can't open 8.1, John… not without loosing air for the others,_" Zach said regretfully.

" And quite right, too, Sir. I think I bought them a little time."

" _There's nothing I can do, John. I'm sorry._"

" You've done enough, Sir, made a _very_ good captain under the circumstances." He smiled to himself. " Might I ask, if you can't add oxygen to this section, can you speed up the process of its removal?"

" _I don't understand, what do you mean?_"

" Well, if I might choose the manner of my departure, sir…"

OoOoOoO

Selene, like the others, listened and had to cover her mouth with a hand and wipe at her eyes with the other. She may not have liked the man all too much in the time she'd known him… but he was trying to do a job. And he'd done it. He was saving their lives. And, in those last few moments, being civil towards each other was… nice. And… she'd lie if the moment he said 'my departure' she teared up. Because she did.

OoOoOoO

" Lack of air seems more natural than, well…" He spotted an Ood coming towards him. " Let's say… death by Ood. I'd appreciate it, Sir!"

" _Godspeed, Mister Jefferson._"

" Thank you, sir."

Air whooshed through the tunnels.

OoOoOoO

" _Report… Officer John Maynard Jefferson PKD, Deceased, with Honors, 43K 2.1,_" Zach said, voice thick with sadness. Everyone was silent a moment.

" Zach…" Danny started, voice cracking. " We're at the final junction. 9.2. And if, uh, my respects could be on record. He saved our lives."

" _Noted. Opening 9.2._"

The gate flew open.

Ood looked them in the eye and tried to crawl through.

" LOWER 9.2!" Rose shouted, the gate trying to slam back shut. " Zach, lower it!"  
" Back, back, back!" Danny insisted, beginning to crawl back down the passage.

" We can't go back, the point's sealed off. We're stuck!" Toby shot back, just as Rose noted the grate above her head.

" Come on! Up!" She shoved the grating open and hauled herself out, followed by Danny. Selene flung her arms upward and took hold of the offered hands, collapsing when she got herself out of the passage.

" Toby, come on, come on!" She called out.

As Toby turned and looked at an Ood, inches away, his eyes turned blood red. He smirked and held up a finger in a shushing motion. The Ood stopped. It didn't attack.

Turning back, completely normal, Toby yelled,

" Help me, oh my God, help me!" He clambered up out of the hatch, the three pulling him out. The grate slammed shut and the door in the corridor they stood in opened, more Ood filing out towards them.

" It's this way!" Danny called out, running for the next door. When they got through the door to Ood habitation, Selene let everyone in first, almost falling behind if it weren't for Toby snagging an arm around her waist and pulling her in as he slammed the door shut.

" Get it in!" Rose pestered the man as they all ran to the railing to peer down into the Ood habitation.

" Danny, get it done!" Toby insisted.

" Get it done _quick_ or we're gonna be dead!" Selene pointed to were the Ood began to march towards them.

" I'm trying, I'm trying! I'm getting at it!" Danny said, absolutely flustered. Then, as the Ood approached them on the stairs, Rose shouted.

" Danny, get that thing transmitting!"

" Or, dammit, I will!" Selene added in, the trio backing away as Danny finally got the computer chip in.

Each Ood over the sanctuary base suddenly grabbed their heads, swaying every which way as they one by one dropped to the ground, unmoving. It took a moment to sink in but suddenly they realized it had worked.

" You did it. We did it!" Rose practically squealed, hugging Danny, who yelled,

" Yes!"  
" Oh thank God!" Selene said with a smile, relaxing entirely. Toby grinned and gave her a hug, spinning her around for a moment, laughing. As he set her down, he quickly pressed a kiss against her lips, surprising the both of them. It was short, very short, and actually quite sweet. Selene couldn't remember the last time she'd been kissed; probably by her last boyfriend whom she didn't like to speak of… and that was over two good years ago. He pulled back, arms still around her waist, her arms still around his neck in the embrace they'd shared. They stared at each other for a moment, both soon breaking apart to give a hug to the other two in the room. Everyone still smiling, Rose grabbed the intercom.

" Zach, we did it, the Ood are down. Now, we've got to get the Doctor," Rose said.

" _I'm on my way,_" He told them.

They all began to run back towards the drilling sigh, Toby ushering Selene forward with a hand on her lower back.

OoOoOoO

"… You get representations of the horned beast right across the universe." The Doctor and Ida had been carrying on conversation as he was slowly lowered into the pit. They were currently discussing the Beast and all the different forms it was seen as across the universe and what not. " In myths and legends of a million worlds—Earth, Draconia, Vel Consadine, Daemos, the Kaled God of War, it's the same image _over and over _again. _Maybe_… that idea came from somewhere, bleeding through, the thought at the back of every sentient mind," The Doctor had been talking rapid fire for a while now, and Ida, still at the top of the pit, listened intently.

" Emanating from here?" She asked.

" Could be."

" But if this is the original, does that make it real? Does that make it the _actual_ Devil, though?" She sounded worried, that was for sure. Who wouldn't be worried if they found out the Devil or the greatest demon of all demons or the greatest evil was real?

" _Well…_ if that's what it wants you to believe," The Doctor mused, staring up the cable line into nothing but darkness, looking down into the exact same thing. His brows furrowed a bit. " Maybe that's what the Devil is in the end—an idea."

There was a loud, high-pitched squeal, and the Doctor jolted to a stop. The cable had met the end of its length.

" That's it. That's all we've got," Ida told him. " Are you getting any sort of readout?"

The Doctor checked his wrist device and shook his head, brown eyes staring at all the readings, or, again, the lack thereof. There seemed to be a _lot_ of things lacking in the pit… again adding to the horrible mystery that liked to drag the Doctor onto all sorts of dangerous missions.

" Nothing. Could be miles to go yet. Or…" He stared down below himself. " Could be thirty feet and no way of telling…" He thought a moment. " I could survive thirty feet…"

" Oh, no, you don't! I'm pulling you back up!" Ida protested, starting the drum up in reverse, pulling the Time Lord back up. The Doctor hit a button on his harness. The drum stopped. " What are you doing?"

" You bring me back and we're just going to sit there and run out of air. I've got to go down."

" But you can't. Doctor, you can't!"  
" Call it an act of faith…" He began to unhook the cable from his harness, very slowly.

" But… I don't want to die on my own," She whispered.

" I know," The Doctor agreed, undoing another hook. He knew exactly what she meant. Its why he traveled with companions; it was why he had Rose and Selene. To not be alone, and with every day being a dangerous new adventure… he wouldn't die alone as long as they were by his side. Another hook undone. " I didn't ask—have you got any sort of faith, or…"

" No… not really…" Ida said, from her new spot perched on the edge of the pit. " I was brought up neoclassic congregational… 'cause of my mum, she was… my old mum… But, no, I never believed."

" Neoclassic, has that got a Devil?"

" No, not as such, just, um… the things that men do."

" Same thing in the end," The Doctor said, still undoing all the hooks.

" What about you?" She asked.

The Doctor gripped onto the cable. He looked around the nothingness that surrounded him and thought it over.

_What a good question…_ He thought to himself as he gently swayed back and forth on the cable.

" I… believe… I believe I haven't seen everything? I don't know… It's funny isn't it? The things you make up, the rules… If that thing had said it came from beyond the universe, I'd believe it. But _before_ the universe? Impossible!"

_A lot of impossible things keep happening, Doctor,_ He could just hear Selene say in his mind. He pictured the smirk she'd wear when she said it too. That one that was playful and serious at the same time. He chuckled inwardly as he continued.

" Doesn't fit my rule…" He mused. " Still, that's why I keep traveling. To be proved wrong." He began to work on the last clips. " Thank you, Ida."

" Don't go!" She suddenly said.

" If they get back in touch, if you talk to Selene… tell her I'm sorry. That I wished I could see how much she would have _loved_ all the things I would show her… and tell Rose… just tell her…" There was a long pause, Ida waiting for the message to relay. " Tell her…" A longer pause where he debated whether to say it or not. No… no he couldn't admit it. He lost too many people… he can't say it… " Oh, she knows."

And with that, the last clip was undone, and he plummeted downwards… completely soundless into the dark…

" _Doctor, are you there? Doctor, Ida, can you hear me?_" Rose's voice asked in a panic.

" _Please say something_," Selene's voice came on next. " _Doctor? Doctor! Ida!_"

" He's gone," Ida said sadly.

" _What do you mean, he's gone?_" Rose asked.

" He fell… into the pit. And I don't know how deep it is, miles and miles and miles."

" _What do you mean he fell?_"

" Well, I couldn't stop him. He said your names…"

OoOoOoO

Back up at the drilling site, Zach took the intercom from Rose as she stared, watery eyed at nothing in particular.

" I'm sorry," Zach said. Rose turned to Selene and the two hugged tightly. Selene could feel hot tears roll onto her shoulders and she could feel her own tears running down her face… of course she knew the Doctor was alive… but it was all reality now, and with all the looks of sympathy directed at her and Rose… it was too much.

" Ida… there's no way of reaching you," Zach told her. " No cable, no back up… You're ten miles down. We can't get there."

" _You should see this place, Zach. It's beautiful. Well I wanted to discover things. And here I am,_" She sobbed softly.  
" We've got to abandon the base. I'm declaring this mission unsafe. All we can do is make sure that no one ever comes here again."

" _But we'll never find out what it was._"

" Maybe that's for the best."

" _Yeah._"

" Officer Scott—"

" _It's alright. Just go. Good luck._"

" And you…" Zach put the intercom down and everyone stayed silent for a long moment. Zach clicked a button, shutting the intercom. " Danny, Toby, close down the feed links. Get the retrotopes online. Then get to the rocket and strap yourselves in. We're leaving." As everyone scattered to do as told, Rose pulled away from Selene and turned to face him.

" We're not going," She told him.

" Rose, Selene, there's space for both of you," Zach said spinning to face them.

" No… we're waiting for the Doctor. He always waits for us," Selene said, voice soft.

" I'm sorry but… he's dead."

" You don't know him… 'cause he's not! I'm telling you, he's-he's not!" Rose said, voice cracking. " And even if he was, how could we leave him? All on his own, all the way down there? No… we're going to stay."

" Then I apologize for this. Danny, Toby, make Rose secure," Zach ordered. Danny and Toby each took a hold of each of Rose's arms, trying to hold her in place as she kept trying to pull away, yelling that she wouldn't leave. She only stopped as Zach injected a sedative into her arm. Gently placing her on the ground, Toby and Danny grabbed a hold of Selene's arms. She looked up at them, eyes still teary and shook her head.

" Please…" She muttered, not trying to pull away. She looked up at Danny and then Toby. " I'm not going to fight you, I just want to—"

" I'm sorry, it has to be done," Zach told her, pressing another injection of sedative into the crook of her arm. She rather quickly slipped into unconsciousness, Toby fully taking her weight and lifting her up. " I have lost too many people, I'm not leaving either of you behind." Zach picked Rose up and put her on his shoulder. " Lets get them on board."

Toby took the lead, still holding the completely unconscious Selene gently in his arms, only stopping when he saw an Ood twitch.

" Did that one just move?" He asked with worry.

" It's the telepathic field. It's reasserting itself!" Danny said in surprise. Zach shook his head.

" Move it. Get to the rocket. Move!" Zach was anxious as all the Ood started to twitch again… They had to get out and get out _fast_.

OoOoOoO

The Doctor lay motionless at the bottom of the pit. His eyes were shut peacefully and the lights inside his helmet still illuminated his face. The glass of the helmet was shattered, sprayed out in front of him. Slowly, he groaned. He began to roll over, pushing himself up to his knees with a sudden gasp. Wait… gasp. He… he could breathe! He stood up, gripping the broken helmet in surprise.

" I'm breathing…" He pulled off the helmet and looked up. " Air cushion to support the fall…" He clicked on the communicator on his wrist. " You can breathe down here, Ida." Static. " Can you hear me Ida?"

OoOoOoO

Once on the rocket, everyone began to get into their respected seats. There were four across in the middle and two up at the front. Rose was seated on the end next to Toby, and Selene was belted in between the blond man and Danny. Toby gently slid Selene into a seat beside his, making sure not to jostle her too much. He clipped the harness of the seat around her securely and began to process of helping with lift off. He glanced over at her every once and a while to see if she was waking up.

With a soft groan, her eyes opened slowly and she blinked blearily to gain her bearings. After a moment, her creased brows relaxed and she slumped against her seat.

" In the rocket, then…" She whispered, rubbing her face.

" It'll be okay, Selene," Toby told her. " I'm… I'm sorry about your friend." He reached out a hand and gently rubbed her shoulder as she continued to keep her hands over her face.

" Dislocating B clamp, C clamp. Raising blu-nitro to maximum. Toby, how's the negapact feed line?" Zach asked, hitting switches.

" Clear! Ready to go, Sir," He told him, smiling a bit. " For God's sake, get us out of here!" He felt a twinge in the back of his head… it wasn't going away… it didn't feel right… Rose began to wake up, looking around the cramped rocket slowly.

" Captain… I think we're gonna have a problem passenger!" Danny said, nodding to Rose and Selene, who still refused to lower her hands.

" Keep an eye on them!"

" What's…" Rose muttered, looking around frantically.

" It's all right, Rose. We're safe," Danny called over to her.

" I'm not going anywhere!" She announced loudly. " Get me out of this thing! Get me out!" She was yanking on the seatbelt, unable to get it off.

" And… lift-off!" Zach shouted as the engines rumbled. Rose's cries of 'no' were drowned out as they took off, all of them shaking and vibrating.

OoOoOoO

" A rocket…" The Doctor muttered as he stood quickly, staring at the gaping space above him. They were leaving. Rose… Selene… on a rocket back to Earth… he… he was alone again…

OoOoOoO

Rose, jaw set in angry determination, eyed a bolt gun, just in front of her. Her hands lashed out and grabbed it, aiming it at the back of Zach's head.

" Take me back to the planet," She practically hissed, her brows creasing together in pure anger. " Take me back!"

" Or what?"

" Or I'll shoot."

" Would you then? Would you really?" Zach asked, face blank. " Is that what your Doctor would want?"

" Rose…" Selene whispered, hands falling from her face. " Put it down…" She looked exhausted, sick almost. Her head was pounding again, and all the tension wasn't making anything better. Rose, looking at her face, slowly flopped back against her seat, going completely limp.

" Sorry, but it's too late, anyway. Take a look outside. We can't turn back. This is what the Doctor would have wanted. Isn't that right?" Zach asked of her.

Rose shifted in her seat to stare into the orange-red light of the black hole, that was slowly getting farther away from them. She slowly sat back in her seat, holding her hand to her mouth and staring at nothing. She looked over at Selene, who sat just as limply in her seat, eyes trained on her boot-clad feet… not registering the one hand Toby had on her forearm.

OoOoOoO

The Doctor, knowing he now had all the time he had to explore the bottom of the pit, found a cave and was examining the paintings on the rock. They depicted none other than the Beast, painted bright red and demonic, with lines of what appeared to be some sort of being, trying to fight it.

" History of some big battle, man against Beast," The Doctor said to himself. " I don't know if your getting this, Ida. I hope so. Anyway, they defeated the Beast and imprisoned it." He stared at the paintings for a little while longer before turning and shining the flashlight onto something he spotted behind him. An urn. _Two_ bronze urns on separate pedestals. Shining the light back on the painting, he saw a depiction of two urns on pedestals. He slowly walked towards them. " Maybe that's the key…"

Reaching out with a gloved hand, he touched one. It began to glow gold and hum lowly. Suddenly, the second urn began to do the same.

" Or the gate. Or the bars," The Doctor mused as he went to stand between the two.

There was a deep rumbling, causing the Doctor to direct his gaze forward… and his brown eyes widened at what he saw. In a pit, an _impossibly_ large creature slowly righted itself. It was huge and red in hue, with curling rams horns on the side of its demonic and skeletonic looking head. It's eyes were pitch black with glowing fire like dots in the center, acting as actual pupils. Its chest was taut over large bone and seemingly scarred and swept with black soot. Its large hands with black claw-like nails were encircled with metal cuffs, which were held to the wall with chains. A similar set up had been done to its horns and most likely its feet as well. The chains clinked and rattled as the Beast shifted to growl at the Time Lord before it, bearing it's sharp and horrible teeth.

OoOoOoO

Toby began to laugh. The smile that pulled on his face didn't seem right. He couldn't stop laughing.

" What's the joke?" Danny asked in an almost annoyed voice. Toby slowly looked over Selene to the dark haired man.

" Just… we made it! We escaped!" He sounded giddy. " We actually did it!"

" Not all of us…" Rose muttered, staring off blankly.

" We're not out of it yet," Zach reminded them from the captain's seat. " We're still the first people in history to fly _away_ from a black hole. Toby, read me the stats."

Toby, still grinning, looked up to the screen overhead.

" Gravity funnel holding, Sir! Ooh, it's holding!" Selene looked over at him and stared at the look on his face.

" Toby… Are you alright?" She asked quietly, shifting her arm so her hand was on top of his. She knew Toby was practically no longer there. The Beast had finally taken him over completely. In fact, he probably hadn't been Toby for a while. But… there was no harm in hoping that wasn't the case. He grinned down at her.

" I'm perfectly fine, Selene. Everything is _perfect._"

OoOoOoO

The Doctor, staring in shock at the Beast before him slowly said,

" I accept that you exist. I don't have to accept what you are, but your physical existence, I'll give you that." The Beast snarled again. " But I don't understand. I was expected down here. I was given a safe landing and _air_." A hint of a smirk pulled on the Doctor's face. " You need me for something. What for?"

The Beast lunged at him as much as he could, talon like hands clawing at rock bathed in red and orange light. It pulled back after a moment, its large breaths making its enormous shoulders rise and fall.

" Have I got to… I don't know… beg an audience or… Is there a _ritual?_" The Doctor leaned to the side slightly and arched both brows as he tried to think of things he'd had to do in the past. " Some sort of incantation or summons or spell? All these things I don't believe in, are they real?" The Beast shifted and stared at him. It did nothing but let out another breath of hot air. " _Speak to me!_ Tell me!" It snarled like a lion, almost as if daring him to figure it out.

" You won't talk… or… _you can't_ talk. Hold on, hold on. Wait a minute, just let me… OH! No!" He looked down then his head snapped up as he stared at the Beast. " Yes!" He grinned. The grin fell. " No… Think it through… you spoke before. I heard your voice. An _intelligent_ voice! No! More than that—brilliant!" The Doctor held out a hand towards the creature, still trying to work out the entangled snare his thoughts were in. " But… looking at you now… All I can see… is… the Beast. The animal. _Just the body._ You're just the body, the physical form! What's happened to your mind, hmm?" The Doctor tilted his head, lips pressed together, eyes wide. " Where's it gone? Where's that intelligence?"

The Doctor's eyes slid upwards and he froze. The rocket. The passengers… The archeologist. The one they'd heard speak as the Beast.

" Oh, no…" He muttered, straightening up.

OoOoOoO

" Stats at fifty-three, funnel stable at sixty-six point five. Hull pressure all constant… Smooth as we can, Sir, all the way back home," Toby told Zach. " Coordinates set for planet Earth." He began to smile that completely not-Toby smile again.

OoOoOoO

" You were imprisoned, long time ago—before the universe, after, sideways, in between, doesn't matter," The Doctor dismissed with the wave of a hand, examining more of the paintings. " Prison is _perfect_. It's absolute. It's eternal. Oh, yes! Open the prison, the _gravity field collapses!_ This planet falls into the black hole!" The brunette Time Lord grinned and marched to stand back between the two urns. " You escape, you die—brilliant!" He threw his arms in the air, his excitement dying as his thoughts began to roll again. " But that's just the body. The body is trapped. That's all. The Devil is an idea. In all those civilizations, just an idea. But an _idea_ is hard to kill… An idea could escape. The mind. The mind of the Great Beast."

He jutted a finger to point at the Beast, as it leaned forward again, it's seemingly burning flesh twitching into angered expressions.

" The mind can _escape_." The Doctor jumped back in excitement as it all made sense. " _OH!_ But that's it!" He exclaimed. " _You _didn't give me air, _your jailers_ did!" He spun around, arms held out to stare around at everything surrounding him. " They set this up all those years ago. They need me alive because if your escaping, I've got to stop you!" The Beast roared in anger, thrashing around in its bonds. He grabbed onto a large rock and moved to one of the urns, an almost triumphant smirk on his face. " If I destroy your prison, your body is destroyed, your mind with it."

The Doctor brought up his arms and held the rock just over the urn, preparing to smash it. He suddenly froze when the faces of Selene and Rose popped back into his head. He dropped the rock on the ground and shook his head.

" But then, your clever enough to use this whole system against me." He grabbed onto the pedestal and stared at the urn. " If I destroy this planet, I destroy the gravity field. The rocket—the rocket looses protection and falls into the black hole," He said, face falling to its absolute lowest. " I have to sacrifice Rose. I have to sacrifice Selene."

The Beast began to growl lowly in short gasps. It was laughing. The Doctor had gotten it right.

OoOoOoO

" It doesn't make sense," Rose mused when she finally pulled herself out of her thoughts. " We escaped but… there's a thousand ways it could've killed us. It could've… ripped out the air… or… burnt us or anything. But it let us go. Why?" A thought hit her and she and Selene made eye contact. " Unless it wanted us to escape." The look on Selene's face was grim. So, either she'd gotten it right and Selene knew it and couldn't say… or she was thinking the exact same thing.

" Hey, Rose, do us a favor." Toby leaned closer to her. " Shut up," He hissed. He was no longer acting like the shy, mild-mannered man they'd met. And Selene shook her head to Rose, clearly saying 'don't provoke him.'

" Toby…" Selene whispered. His head whipped around to look at her. He arched a brow in reply, eyes getting colder and more distant. " Nothing. Never mind…" With a smirk, he looked back up at the monitor.

" Almost there. We're beyond the reach of the black hole in forty, thirty-nine—"

OoOoOoO

" So that's the trap," The Doctor said glumly, staring at the Beast with dull eyes. " Or the test of final judgment, I don't know… But if I kill you, I kill them." The Beast growled again, thrashing its head about. The Doctor clapped his hands together behind his back. " Except, that _implies _in this big grand scheme of Gods and Devils, that they're both just victims. But I've seen a _lot_ of this universe. I've seen _fake Gods_ and _bad_ Gods and _Demigods_ and _Would-Be-Gods_, and out of all that… out of all that whole pantheon, if I can only believe in two things… two things as _one…_ I believe in _them!_"

The Doctor grabbed onto the rock again and ran to one urn. He smashed it to pieces. He ran to the second one and did the same, tossing the rock to the ground.

" _This_ is your freedom! Free to _die!_" The Doctor called out. " You're going into that black hole and I'm riding with you!"

The Beast thrashed wilder than before, breathing out flames, roaring angrily. The Doctor mockingly made a snarling face back at it, staring as it began to loose control.

OoOoOoO

" What happened!? What was that!?" Danny yelled out as the rocket began to shake. Toby's face darkened.

" What's he doing?! What is he doing!?" He exclaimed angrily.

" We've lost the funnel! Gravity collapse!

" What does that mean!" Rose called out.

" It means we're falling into the black hole, Rose! It means we can't escape!" Selene called out to her, grabbing onto the sides of her seat.

Sirens wailed, lights began to flash. Everyone didn't know what to do; death seemed inevitable as they spiraled towards the black hole. Rose craned to look out the window and her face fell even more.

" It's the planet. The planet's moving. It's falling!" She sat back down in her seat and turned to look at Toby, only to shrink back into the wall, mouth a gape. He was glaring right back at her with crimson eyes, blue lips and ears, the symbols back on his skin.

" **I am the Rage and the Bile and the Ferocity!**" Toby shouted, voice deep. The voice of the Beast.

" It's Toby! Zach, do something!" Rose called out as Toby's head whipped around to glare at Selene instead.

" **I am the Prince and the Fall and the Enemy!**" He was straining against the seatbelt, hands tightly gripping the chair.

" What happened!?" Zach called out as Danny began to completely loose it.

" It's him! It's him! It's him!" He yelled.

" **I am the Sin and the Fear and the Darkness!**"

" It's completely taken him over, it isn't Toby anymore!" Selene called out, cringing away from Toby as he leaned towards her again. Craning back in his seat, Toby's mouth opened and fire flew from his mouth. Everyone stared in horror.

" Stay where you are! The ship's not stable!" Zach caught sight of the fire. " What is he!? What the _hell _is he!?"

" **I shall NEVER DIE!**" Toby snarled, thrashing in his seat. " **The thought of me is forever! In the bleeding hearts of men in their vanity and obsession and lust! NOTHING shall ever destroy me! NOTHING!**"

Rose, who'd scrambled from her seat and grabbed onto the bolt gun, slid back and aimed it at the front window.

" Go to _hell_," She muttered, firing the only bolt. The window shattered and Selene had to quickly reach over and pull the clip on Toby's seatbelt, which sent him hurtling forward into the vacuum of space. He was growling and clawing at nothing, glaring at everyone on the rocket. Selene stared as his angry face slowly drifted away from them, bellowing out angrily. Rose hugged her seat to keep from being sucked out, hiding her face.

" Emergency shield!" Zach shouted. Hitting a button, the emergency shield went up and panic continued to ensue. " We've still lost the gravity funnel. We can't escape the black hole!"

" But we stopped him," Rose pointed out. " That's what the Doctor would've done." If she were about to die, she'd rather her thoughts be about the Doctor rather than hurtling into a black hole.

" Some victory!" Zach spat. " We're going in."

" The planet's lost orbit! It's falling!" Danny shouted, staring at a monitor diagram.

OoOoOoO

The Doctor ran from the cave, blown backwards by a blast of steam. He grunted as he hit something solid. Looking up, he saw a very familiar blue wooden door. He was propped right up against the TARDIS, as if it had been waiting for him. He laughed, not thinking of a better time it could have shown up.

OoOoOoO

The diagram went red and filled with static.

" The planet's gone!"  
" Farewell to the impossible planet…" Selene whispered, shutting her eyes.

" I'm sorry," Danny said to the two women sincerely.

" Accelerate," Zach said. " I did my best. But, hey, first humans beings to fall inside a black hole… that's… how about that? History."

Everyone clamped their eyes shut, ready to die…

The lights went back on.

The shaking stopped.

" What happened?" Rose asked.

The rocket began to tilt.

" We're… turning," Zach said in confusion. " We're turning around… we're turning away!"

Static came on over the intercom system.

" _Sorry about the hijack, Captain. This is the good ship TARDIS,_" The Doctor's voice told them, causing Selene and Rose to look up at the speakers, smiling. " _Now, first things first; have you got a Rose Tyler and Selene Thomas on board?_"

" I'm here! It's me! Oh my God!" Rose said with pure joy.

" Ready to get back in that blue phone box," Selene said with a smile, eyes closing again. " Care to tell us where you are, Doctor?"

" _I'm just towing you home! Gravity-shmavity. My people practically invented black holes. Well… in fact, they did! In a couple of minutes, we'll be nice and safe. Oh, and, Captain… can we do a swap? Say, if you give me Rose Tyler and Selene Thomas, I'll give you Ida Scott. How about that?_"

" She's alive!" Zach exclaimed happily, slowly grinning.

" Yes! Thank God!" Danny whispered.

" _Yeah! Bit of oxygen starvation, but she should be alright. I couldn't save the Ood. I only had time for one trip…_" Everyone could hear that tinge of regret in his voice. " _They went down with the planet._" There was a beeping sound. " _Ah! Entering clear space. End of the line, mission closed._"

OoOoOoO

The TARDIS landed in the cargo hold, and the passenger swap was put into action. Rose and Selene both walked into the TARDIS, staring at the Time Lord, still in his space suit. Rose grinned and ran up the ramp, meeting him in a hug, which lifted her off the ground he chuckled and she laughed as they tightly embraced. Selene slowly walked up the ramp and leaned against the railing, spacing out for a moment.

" Selene?" She looked up when the Doctor said her name. He grinned at her, arms wide. " What, I don't get a hug? You're the one always giving them!" He teased. Smiling, she walked over and hugged him tightly. But she didn't laugh. Her smile didn't last long either. She squeezed her eyes shut and hugged him tightly. The day had been long and taxing. She'd lost a friend. She'd had enough of planets near black holes. " You alright?" He asked, pulling away and looking at her, concerned. She tried a smile, which came out as a grimace. She shrugged and put her hands in her pockets.

" Long day, I guess," She replied, stepping out of his embrace. Rose and the Doctor exchanging a worried glance for their friend, but then he began to pull off the space suit, revealing his normal suit underneath. He went to the console and pushed a button, Rose joining his side.

" Zach, we'll be off now," He said. " Have a safe trip home. And the next time you get curious about something—oh, what's the point? You'll just go _blundering _in. The human race." He looked over at Rose with a small smirk.

" _But, Doctor, what did you find down there? That creature, what was it?_" Ida's voice asked.

" I don't know. Never did decipher that writing. But that's good! Day I know everything, I might as well stop." Rose looked at him curiously.

" What do you think it was. Really?" She asked him.

" I think… we beat it. That's good enough for me," He told her, flicking switches again.

" It said I was going to die in battle," She said worriedly. He looked her in the eye and said,

" Then it lied." She smiled. " Right! Onwards, upwards. Ida, see you again, maybe."

" _I hope so._"

" And thanks boys! From Selene and I!" Rose called out, smiling.

" _Hang on, though, Doctor. You never really said… You three… who are you?_" Ida asked.

" Oh!" The Doctor said, thinking it over. " The stuff of legend!" He smiled at his two companions, flicking another switch… and they were off.

OoOoOoO

_**" This is the final report of Sanctuary Base Six. Officer Tobias Zed, Deceased, With Honors, 43K 2.1. Also, Ood 1, Alpha 1, Deceased With Honors…"**_

OoOoOoO

Rose recounted what happened up on the base when the Doctor was in the pit, and vice versa. Selene kept quiet, leaning against the railing while playing with a frayed edge of her sweater.

" Selene…" Rose said softly, getting the brunette's attention. " Is what the Beast said true? I know I asked before, but… _do you _really feel out of place here?" Her voice was tinged with worry as she leaned beside her friend. The Doctor, who'd been working around the console froze to hear what Selene would say. She wrapped her arms around her stomach for comfort.

" I… yeah. I do sometimes. I guess I feel that I'm more of a tag-along, that I'm just along for the ride. That I'm not making much of a difference for anyone. I'm just… a speck of dust drifting in a sea of people who change worlds," Selene admitted, sighing. She shook her head with a small laugh. " I sound like _such_ a child, don't I?"

" Don't talk like that," Rose said softly, putting an arm around her shoulders. " You think you don't make a difference? What about Toby? You must've known he was possessed long before any of us, and you still kept by his side quite adamantly, in fact. I still say he fancied you… and you've helped save the world more than once. The Doctor and I know you've made a difference. So just keep working on it, I'm sure you'll see it too," Rose said comfortingly, pulling her into a hug. Selene hugged tightly back, feeling tears slip from her eyes.

" Maybe he fancied me, maybe he didn't, I guess I'll never find out… but… Toby was a friend… I wish… I just… Everyone who meets me seems to get cursed. Think about it. Reinette, dead waiting for us to come back. Mickey, he's stuck in an alternate universe. Mrs. Moore. Dead. Toby, dead… I'm a package of bad-luck walking around," She muttered into Rose's shoulder.

A warm hand dropped onto her back and she looked up to see the Doctor standing behind her. He stared down at her and pulled her into another hug.

" You're not bad luck. I mean, look at Rose and I, we're still walking and living aren't we? I've said this once, I'll say it again; you're special. You can save the world, you already _have_ saved the world. You can't loose sight of yourself in the universe. You'll go mad. Trust me, it isn't the best thing to happen. Now. Chin up," He said, bumping her chin with a finger, smiling sweetly at her. " Get some rest. We'll go on some nice relaxing adventures next, why don't we? We can go tanning on a beach on some planet neither of you have ever heard of, or go on a hike with Lewis and Clark! Go on, both of you, rest up! Big days ahead of us!" The Doctor grinned as he earned a watery smile from Selene, both she and Rose walking arm and arm to go get some rest.

Hiking with Lewis and Clark… now _that_ was something he'd never done.

_**Afterword:**__** 'Ay, another chapter done! Not too impressed with how I wrote it, I must admit, but then again, I'm exhausted from all this freaking snow. Due to Winter Storm Nemo, I have a good two or so feet of snow in my yard. UHG. And my room is FREEZING so my fingers are cold while I type XD I need some typing gloves…**_

_** Anyway, Pretty intense stuff went down. Toby kissed Selene, Toby became possessed and died… The Doctor says he believes in not only Rose BUT ALSO Selene, so, yeah, ya know… normal day in the DW universe.**_

_**REVIEW REPLIES:**_

**DoubleHeartedHuman:**_ I thought Toby deserved a close friend before… ya know… this chapter happened XD I hope you enjoyed! Thanks again!_

**grapejuice101:**_ I'm glad you like it more! Wasn't my exact favorite either, but it was fun to write! Hope you enjoyed! Thanks again!_

**The Yoshinator:**_ I couldn't get much of a original scene in this one; too fast paced. Though I suppose that last bit in the TARDIS was an original scene. Short, but there. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!_

**Whyna Katran:**_ Ah, thanks! I'm glad I'm rewriting the episodes well, this one, not too sure about it… well, I hoped you enjoyed it, anyway! Thanks again!_

** :**_ I'm glad you liked it! Don't worry, you didn't sound harsh, I'm really greatful you pointed out; I need my readers to point things like that out so I actually notice it XD And I have an EXACT time line and episode where they end up together. I've already planned it out! XD Anyway, hope you enjoyed! Thanks again!_

**JayceeJade:**_ Hope you liked it! Thanks again!_

**E-man-dy-S:**_ Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I love writing this story, it's so much fun! Thanks again!_

_**And thank you to those who have read this and added it to their favorites/story alerts. It means a lot to me! Thanks guys!**_

_** By the way, I have a poll up on what story you guys might be interested in me writing next. Go vote if you like!**_

_** NOTE! : Okay, so the next chapter will be Love and Monsters. Since it's not very Doctor revolved directly, I'm gonna give them a little side trip till Jackie calls Rose. So, let me know if there is a time period/place, historical figure, some planet or other you'd like them to visit, 'cause I love suggestions! Although, hiking with Lewis and Clark would be funny. Anyway, let me know! Thanks again you guys!**_

_**~Mary**_


	9. Love and Monsters

_Disclaimer:__ I do not own Doctor Who (planets, aliens, places etc.) or any of the characters. In means of THIS chapter, I also do not own anything owned by Shakespeare including quotes, characters and such. I also do not own 'King And Lionheart,' which is a song by Of Monsters And Men; it half inspired this chapter. I only own my OC Selene. ENJOY!_

_**Foreword: In referencing Henry IV, I used Tom Hiddleston's portrayal of Hal for this; he's an amazing actor and did an AMAZING job of playing Hal! Enjoy the chapter!**_

9. Love and Monsters

_**OR**_

King And Lionheart

There was a massive clattering and an angry roar as Selene and Rose stumbled after the Doctor, who was chasing an angry Hoix. They'd been running after the thing for a good hour or so, following it through an abandoned warehouse, loosing it after almost every turn. Selene almost took a fall down a set of metal steps, jumping the last few to keep her balance.

" Doctor! Doctor, the trap!" Rose shouted out as they spotted the Doctor a floor below them.

" Where's he gone? Can you see him?" He called back, spinning in a circle, coat fanning out around his legs.

" No… No, he isn't—behind you! Watch out!" Selene yelled, gripping onto the cold railing.

" There" Rose pointed to where the Hoix had run off.

" Where?" The Doctor asked in a moment of confusion. He spotted it run through a door and he took off at a sprint. " There a red and blue bucket a few corridors down! Grab the _red_ bucket in the hallway! It contains a solution that'll calm it down!" The Doctor's voice trailed off as he disappeared into the brightly lit doorway, the door slamming behind him.

" Blue bucket," Rose muttered at the same time Selene muttered,

" Red bucket."

The two ran off in separate directions.

It had been around that moment that blond man, Elton, in a navy blue jumpsuit had stepped into the warehouse, following the sounds of the shouting and the all-too familiar blue police box outside. He came to a hallway with a number of doors on each side and one at the very end. A bright light shone from under the door at the end of hall… He walked towards it and opened it…

And out lunged the angry looking Hoix, baring slimy teeth and a bad-tempered growl. Elton began to slowly back up with wide eyes as the alien began to growl and slowly step towards him. Then, someone slid into the doorway just behind the creature. It was the Doctor, wearing a comfortable smile and waving a pork chop in one hand.

" Here, boy. Eat the food! Come on, look at the lovely food! Isn't that nice? Yes, it is!" His voice sounded like he was talking to a puppy. The Hoix slowly began to turn towards the Doctor, who turned his gaze to Elton momentarily. " Get out of here, quickly." He looked back at the Hoix. " That's a boy. Would you like a pork-y chop-y then?" He looked back to Elton, who hadn't moved, sternly. " I said run!"

Just as Elton, terrified, began to do so, Rose came bolting down the hall, holding a blue bucket of steaming liquid, screaming. She splashed its contents onto the Hoix, who roared in rage.

" Wrong one! You've made it worse!" The Doctor yelled as the alien covered its face.

" You said blue!" Rose complained.

" I said _not blue!_"

The Hoix turned its attention to Rose, who took off at a run, the alien following. The Doctor sighed, calling out,

" Hold on!" And he then disappeared behind the door.

There was a pause as Elton stared at the now empty hallway. A set of new footsteps approached and Selene skid to a halt beside him, carrying a steaming red bucket. She looked around and then met Elton's gaze. She gave him a nod before running into one of the doorways. There was a pause.

The Doctor let out a yell, running from one doorway, across to another, the Hoix on his heels. From the same door he ran into, Rose exited, yelling as the Hoix chased her. Then, from two different doors, the Doctor ran into Selene, no longer carrying the bucket, and spun her around, pushing her through the door she just left, the upset alien on their heels. Then it became even more of a cartoon chase scene. The three time travelers would run through one door and the Hoix through another, switching in ways that shouldn't have been possible on Earth… then again, when did that ever stop them?

The Hoix ran through one door and paused in the hall and then spun around and ran back the way it came as Selene came sprinting after it, red bucket high over her head, black jacket tied around her waist. The Hoix ran out from the same door, chased by _all_ three time travelers. The Doctor, catching sight of the blond man froze, stepping closer to him, brows furrowing.

" Hold on… Don't I know you?" He asked in curiosity. Elton didn't respond, he only bolted from the Time Lord's presence.

_SPLASH!_

" I got it!" Selene shouted out as the Hoix began to groan quietly, slowly falling to its knees in exhaustion. " God, it sure knows how to run…" The Doctor jogged over, eyeing the Hoix, which began to slowly calm down… before it eventually passed out. The Time Lord cleared his throat and fixed both his suit and his coat.

" Well… Now we've just got to get it back to where it came from!" He announced happily. Both women groaned.

OOOO

" I'm telling you, the bucket had been _right there!_" Selene exclaimed, groaning quietly. Rose sighed in exasperation, sending her friend a glare.

" It absolutely _was not_! There was _one _bucket and that was the one I grabbed! I'm not oblivious!" Rose shot back. She crossed her arms and tossed her hair from her face. The two had been arguing about the bucket situation for close to a half hour after they dropped the Hoix off in its proper place. The Doctor had tried to intervene at least four times; all attempts were thwarted when both women shouted at him to stay out of it. So, there he was, staying out of it… he was watching them with a worried expression, flicking switches. They two had yet to actually fight, and the last thing they really needed was to have unneeded tension between two people living in the same close vicinity.

Selene sputtered and threw her arms out wide. Her eyes were wide and she could barely think of how to respond. She hadn't said _anything_ about Rose being oblivious; she'd only said that the other bucket had been just as close and that the Doctor had clearly stated which one to grab.

" I didn't say you were oblivious! I've been merely been trying to say—"

" I know what you've been trying to say, you've been trying to say it for the past hour!"

" Can you both please stop fighting, it was a misunderstanding. We don't have to dwell on it," The Doctor attempted to reason.

" It's a bit late for that!" Rose yelled out to him. He ran his hands through his hair and was about to speak again, but just then the TARDIS' engines thudded and they all jolted forward, crashing to the ground. " Doctor, did you _mean_ it to land?"

" No, actually. I was just… fiddling about, I didn't think I'd set coordinates," He muttered, looking up at the screen. His brows arched in the way they only his could do and then he let out a little "huh!" as he turned to both women.

" Where are we?" Selene asked, pulling herself up.

" England."

" Specifics?"  
" Just outside London, 1402. Now…" The Doctor snatched up his woolen coat and began to pull it on. " _I _say we forget about all this tension and just… go have a look around. How does that sound? Yes, it does sound lovely, put on your coats!" The Doctor tossed their jackets at them, running to the door. The two women met each other's eyes, the tension obviously not about to be resolved.

Selene tugged on her black coat and fixed the clasp on her necklace, staring at the cross that hung off the chain. It was just a bit smaller than her thumb, and it was gold. Roses were carved along the sides and a circular moonstone had been set in the center. It had been a gift from one of her aunts, the moonstone supposedly meant to represent her name, since it meant moon. Fixing the cross' position, she walked to the door, where the Doctor and Rose had already exited. Shutting the creaking door behind her, she observed her surroundings.

They were in the countryside, surrounded by rolling hills colored a brilliant, rich green. Trees rustled in the wind, which carried the smell of oncoming rain and wildflowers. The evening sky was darkened by deep grey clouds and thunder distantly rumbled. Selene's thin jacket barely kept off the chill from the cool air that ran through the branches of the tree the TARDIS had landed under.

" _Just_ outside London?" Selene questioned skeptically.

" Well… maybe not _just_…" The Doctor muttered, peering upwards into the sky, face scrunching a bit.

" There's a storm coming in. If we want to look around we should get a move on now so we can get to London in decent time," The Doctor observed, nodding to a dirt road up a small hill. Rose smiled and bumped his shoulder.

" Don't want that hair of yours to get ruined, do you?" She teased. The Doctor chuckled and retaliated by knocking her shoulder with his. The three jogged up the hill, which was composed of soft soil and healthy grass.

" Did you say it was 1402?" Selene asked curiously.

" Yep!" The Doctor replied, popping the 'p' with a smile. " I believe that the Battle of Humbleton Hill is either just about to happen or just ended." Selene smiled a bit and nodded as they continued down the road.

" Ah, Henry Hotspur," She said in reference to Sir Henry Percy. Though he was a famous relative of the King Henry's, she always remembered him from Shakespeare.

" I see you know his nickname!" The Doctor smiled at her, fixing his brown silken tie. She shrugged and replied with,

" Shakespeare."

" How much Shakespeare do you actually know?" Rose asked arching her brow, using the tone of voice she'd had when meeting Sarah Jane the first time. Her 'I'm-pretending-to-be-nice-to-you' voice. Selene's jaw snapped open to shoot back a reply, but as they came to a fork in the road, the Doctor yelled,

" Horses!" And grabbed Rose to pull her off the road. As they dove to the right, Selene dove off to the left into some bushes. Peering over the top she saw a bunch of men on horseback storm by, laughing and shouting out. Selene sat on the cold grass and ran her hands through her hair, waiting for hem to completely pass, which was when she noted the cut on the palm of her hand. She figured that she'd obtained it when diving off the road. She hissed and wiped a trail of blood off her palm when she stood. She went to ask the Doctor if he had any bandages in his pockets, but looking across the road, she found Rose and the Doctor gone. She blinked and arched a brow.

" Doctor?" She called out. " Rose?" No reply. She sighed and put her uninjured hand on her hip. " They left me on a road. In fourteen hundreds _Wales_. Can it get any worse?" Thunder crackled overhead, signaling the oncoming storm was almost there. " Apparently yes…" She sighed.

OOOO

" Did we just… fall down a _hill_?" Rose asked from her place sprawled across the slightly muddy ground. The Doctor groaned a bit and rubbed some dirt off his jacket. They had, indeed, tumbled down a rather large hill and onto the edge of another road.

" I believe we did. Now, did you see where Selene is?" He asked as they looked around. She wasn't in sight.

" I think she dove to the opposite side of the road."

" Well… let's just hope she came make it to town and wait for us… I think this road may take us on a rather… long and scenic route to London."

OOOO

Rain had begun to come down in sheets. Selene's hair, which was still in its braid, was plastered to the back of her neck and her coat clung wet and stickily to her sides. The wind was picking up and was rather chilly, causing her to shiver. The road was now muddy and in the distance the roofs began to come into sight… or what she could see through the raindrops in her eyes. London lay ahead, a stone bridge leading into the soon to be city, which was becoming slick with water. Selene wasn't quite… scared. She knew that there were probably no aliens lurking about and she could probably land a punch on anyone trying to attack her. What she was worried about was being caught in 1402 England for the rest of her life. If the Doctor couldn't find her again, she'd be stuck there, and that would be an interesting situation to attempt to sort out.

Boots touching down on the bridge, she wrapped her arms around her middle to try and warm herself up, which she then made a priority. She crossed the bridge, moving out of the way once to let a horse and rider pass by, and went in search of a tavern or store she could warm herself up in. London was a town with cramped streets and soaked wooden tables used for butchering meat pushed to the side. A church steeple rose up into the sky and a few citizens still walked through the sheeting rain. Squinting up into the dreary sky, Selene caught sight of a swinging wooden sign that read _Boar's Head Tavern_. She quickly walked to the small door and pushed her shoulder into it, promptly ducking her head to step through the door and into the tavern.

Immediately greeted by the pleasantly humid atmosphere, Selene gently kicked the door shut. It was dimly lit with numerous candles and lanterns and there was a firing roaring in a fireplace across the tavern. What was probably a usual crowd for the place was compiled of fairly drunk men with thick beards or scruffy stubble and women with messy hair and wrinkled dresses. Rowdy laughter echoed against wooden timbers and plaster walls, people knocked over tankards and either laughed or yelled about it; in fact, a fight seemed to start up about an overturned tankard a few moments after she'd stepped in. Overall, no on seemed to care about the arrival of the drenched stranger, and even if they did, they didn't show it. She was jostled slightly by an old man and what looked to be a boy of twelve or so.

Shivering harshly, Selene shuffled towards a woman filling a tankard looked up at her with surprised brown eyes.

" U-Um… A-am I in London? I'm a b-bit lost, I'm afraid…" Selene inquired with chattering teeth, cold droplets of water snaking down her back. The woman set the tankard in front of a man swaying on a barstool and looked her over with concern.

" Oh, dearie! You seem ta be soaked through your skin! Come an' sit by the fire!" She walked around the bar and wrapped her own shawl over Selene's shoulders. " Don' let it be said I won't help someone in need, 'cause I will in a heart beat!" She led Selene over to the warm fire and sat her in a rickety chair by an equally rickety table. Selene sat down and muttered a thank you for both the shawl and the seat by the fire. Selene leaned forward a bit feeling the warmth hit her face, and the tense muscles between her shoulders relaxed.

She didn't drown out the sounds around her and inhaled the wood smoke wafting off the logs before her. The wood smoke mixed with the smell of spilled drinks and sweat, something that she would probably remember for a good long while. The chair creaked as she leaned back into it again, her wary blue eyes staring into the flames. Just then, a strong hand gripping the rim of a tankard entered her direct line of sight.

" You look as though you could use a drink," Came a low, soothing male voice. Selene's eyes slid from the hand, up a jacketed arm, across the curve of a neck and came to rest on the face of the tall handsome man beside her. She blinked a moment and just stared before replying and looking back at the tankard.

" Um… What exactly is it?"

The man chuckled and pulled up a seat beside hers. He sat, tankard still extended to her. The firelight made his fair skin appear slightly tanned father than what was his normal pale complexion. His unoccupied hand swept through his brown hair that tinted gold in any light and appeared to be damp and was of moderate length. Elbows resting on his knees, he held the tankard out to her more, lips pulling into an amused smile. Firelight cast shadows on his high cheekbones and strong jaw, which created an artful bone structure. Turning attention from his hand to his soft blue eyes, she saw mischief and laughter glittering there.

" Tis only ale, my dear lady," He replied, chuckling. Selene shook her head to deny his offer as a few men walked by, slapping her new acquaintance on the back, muttering hellos along with the name 'Hal.' The man smiled up at them but then caught sight of the violent shiver that racked her body. He stood and gestured to the barmaid from before. " Hattie, would you lend this poor woman some dry clothes? She's soaked to the bone and will catch her death of cold otherwise." Hattie gave a nod of agreement and hurried off to a back room. The man, named Hal, apparently, stood and walked over to press the tankard into her hands. " Drink. You _will _feel better."

Selene quietly lifted the tankard to her lips, staring into the ale inside. Her stomach was rolling slightly at the strong smell coming from the tankard; it was definitely nothing like anything Elephant and Palace had served back in Boston. _Fourteen hundreds ale…_ She thought to herself. _It's bound to be strong stuff… Hell, maybe that's what I need._ She carefully tilted the tankard and took a long sip, swallowing hard. The alcohol, which was extremely prominent in the taste of the ale, burnt her tongue and throat, and tasted fairly bitter. She coughed and held a hand over her mouth, grimacing.

" Good _God_ that's bitter!" She muttered, staring at what was in her hand. " And…" She cleared her throat, hand dropping from her mouth. " And strong…" The brunette man laughed and let his head loll back a bit; Selene figured he must have had a drink of some sort as well earlier in the evening. He plopped back into his seat, scrubbing both hands through his hair, ruffling the wavy strands.

" Are you not much of a drinker then?"

" Not usually, in truth," She said.

" And I do not believe I have had the good fortune to meet you. Do you venture from a near by town?" He asked curiously. Selene laughed quietly, braving another small sip of the ale.

" I'm a… traveler."

" You must know who I am, though." The smile that edged onto his handsome face was suggesting that he suspected she did or she should. Arching a brow in thought. She was honestly trying to see if she _could_ place him. She shook her head with a sheepish shrug and equally sheepish smile.

" Sorry, no. I'm actually from _very _far away…" Selene said apologetically. The man gave a smirk and nod, eyeing the wet clothes that clung to the curves of her body.

" Your clothing did lend a clue to that. But, please, allow me to introduce myself. My father would have my head if I were to forget my manors… and a beautiful woman such as yourself deserves no less." He stood and inclined his head to her. " I am Prince Henry of Wales, son of King Henry, but _please_," He bent down, lifted her hand and smiled, meeting her eyes. " Do call me Hal." He pressed a kiss to the back of her hand, lips lingering on her skin.

Selene stared at him for a very long moment. Hal. _Prince Hal _later Henry V: king, warrior, _and Shakespearian character._ It was the true Prince Hal in front of her, the real man.

" Oh my God…" She muttered, staring back at him. He straightened up and sat down.

" So it appears you have at least heard of me," Hal said. She laughed a bit and nodded. She couldn't do anything else but just nod and stare at him, which caused him to arch a brow and laugh a bit. " Ah, and here returns the generous Hattie." Selene looked up to see Hattie gesturing for her to come into the back room. Selene set the tankard down and scurried through the crowd of men to change, the cold water still dripping uncomfortably across her skin.

The clothes Hattie had given her were simple but would at least keep her fairly warm. It was a maroon colored woolen dress with long sleeves and a white petticoat beneath it. Selene made the choice of keeping the necklace on; it wasn't horribly out of place. She re-braided her hair and kept the tattered shawl around her shoulders, taking a long moment to recompose herself after that she'd just met the Prince of Wales. He was one of her favorite Shakespearian characters, but she didn't know how close said portrayal was to the real person… and it appeared that she would get the chance to find out. She adjusted the boots she'd kept on and walked out, ignoring some of the looks that she was given on her walk back. Self-consciously she fixed the relatively low neckline of the dress. She stopped by her seat, surprised to find Hal still there. He smiled at her.

" You look warmer," He noted nodding for her to sit again.

" I am, yes," She agreed, clasping her hands together. Hal took up his own tankard, which had been obtained while she was changing, and threw back a large sip of the ale, grinning.

" So, I believe you have yet to grace me with your name."

" It's Selene. Selene Thomas," She replied, hesitantly taking the tankard again. She wouldn't lie if he asked if the ale had helped, it honestly did. After the burn of the alcohol it did warm her stomach and the chill from outside slowly wore off. Hal reached out and took her hand, inclining his head to her again.

" It is a great pleasure I've had in meeting you." He released her hand, leaning back again, still eying her. " So, tell me, you are a traveler. Where to you hail from?"

" Far, far off, I doubt you would have heard of it," Selene assured him, with a dismissive wave, trying to cut off the conversation. Hal's eyes narrowed playfully.

" Perhaps I have."

" I'm fairly certain you never have."

" But, do tell me, you must be of noble blood. There is an… air that you carry that reminds me of lords and ladies," Hal informed, crossing his boot-clad ankles. She snorted slightly, rolling her eyes.

" Right, me, noble blood. No, I'm as common as common comes, Hal, trust me!" She laughed sweeping a loose strand of hair from her face. Hal arched a brow and leaned forward, tankard still held to his lips.

" You hardly seem common, my dear. You show up in a town far from wherever you come from dressed like a man, soaked to the bone and with mud spattered across your legs. Again, I must assure you that you are _very _far from common," Hal assured her. " I'll still have to disagree. Besides, the most uncommon thing I've ever been apart of is a number of rather… interesting battles." Running a hand through her hair, she then decided to quote none other than Henry IV. " 'This is no world/To play with mammets and to tilt with lips:/We must have bloody noses and cracked crowns.'"

Hal leaned forward and smiled a bit.

" What sweet poetry falls from your lips," He told her softly. Arching a brow, Selene rolled her eyes and took hold of her own tankard, hissing as the cut she'd forgotten about pressed against the handle. She pulled it back and stared at the palm, gently pressing against the slightly inflamed skin. Hal's brows furrowed and he peered at the cut. " How did you get that?"

" I had to dive off the road when some men on horseback sort of… blundered by just outside of the town," Selene explained, dipping her fingers into her tankard and dabbing it onto the cut. It stung and she winced again, shaking of the excess liquid. Hal awkwardly scratched the back of his head, glancing off. She arched a brow. " That was you wasn't it?"

" I do apologize, Selene. Had I known earlier that I had caused you pain I would have stopped immediately. But, come, I will make it up to you; allow me to give you another drink."

" No, it's really fine, I'm not that much of a drinker—"

" I _insist._"

OOOO

Rose tugged the woolen blankets around her tighter, trying to keep warm in the fairly cold inn room. The Doctor stood at the window; gently rubbing dried mud off the hem of his coat using his thumb. She sighed and sat up, running a hand through damp hair. They'd ended up in an entirely different town than London… even further than they'd started out. It had been grudgingly decided upon they needed to rest for the night and they'd go looking for Selene early in the morning.

" Do you think she's alright? I mean… this is the first time she's ever been alone in a _completely_ different time period. I don't want to be a downer, but, she could get into trouble," Rose said with a bit of concern, forgetting about the argument they'd been in before she'd gotten lost. The Doctor sighed and sat down in a chair, fixing a crease in his suit absent mindedly. His brown eyes turned to Rose and he gave a tired smile.

" She's a smart one. She'll try and stay out of trouble… but… maybe you're right…" He muttered thoughtfully. Selene did, indeed, have a temper. And now she was alone and bound to meet at least one unsavory character. He could only hope that she wouldn't make any bad choices… or get into any trouble.

OOOO

The crowd within the _Boar's Head Tavern_ was absolutely _roaring_ with energy. It was creeping into the extremely late hours of the night and no one still at the tavern really cared. The majority of them were gathered around an old table where Hal stood, telling a tale or two about things he'd done, his read leather jacket carelessly flung over a chair. Selene was among those watching him, a tankard clasped loosely in hand. She stood beside a rather heavy man whom had been introduced as Falstaff earlier in the night. Of course she'd had a mini panic attack when she heard that; Falstaff was a Shakespearian character from Henry IV. He was a knight and a close companion of Hal's… and he was _only_ a character last time she'd checked. So, she came to one conclusion after a second round of ale. She'd probably fallen into a Shakespearian universe… either that or Falstaff was just not deemed as a real person in all of history.

" N-now, I believe you have all probably…" Hal paused to catch his balance with a laugh. " Noticed my new friend! Come up, come up, my dear lady!" Hal grabbed Selene's hand and pulled her up beside him, hand clasped tightly around hers. " She, my fellows, is a _traveler!_ I believe that she has seen thing that none of you sorry lot would ever see!"

Selene, who'd been given one too many a drink already, giggled and nodded.

" Oh, I have been to places none of you will _ever _hear about! A-and let me tell you something. Sh, sh, shhhh…" She waited for the rowdy men to quiet down some. " Now _this place_, this tavern right here… has… has got to be the _best place_ I have been too so far! You are a such a _friendly _group of people! I have never felt more welcomed anywhere in my _life._ And you know what I say?" She asked drunkenly, throwing back what was left in the tankard.

" What do you say?" Hal asked, placing his hands on his hips with a grin.

" I say that if my friends and fellow travelers do not find me, I'll stay here the rest of my life!" Selene called out, throwing her hands up. Hal's first cheer caused the rest of the men to do the same, drunkenly laughing and whooping. Selene laughed and grinned, cheeks a becoming shade of pink, and then tossed back strands of hair that had fallen out of the braid she'd had it in.

Hal then half jumped, half stumbled off the table, taking Selene's waist to help her down. She let another man take her tankard and put her hands on his shoulders, allowing him to take her waist. She stepped down and despite both being drunk Hal safely lowered her to the ground, grinning down at her. He was probably just an inch or two over six feet, which meant she would always have to look up at him. A sudden rush suddenly seemed to sweep through her head and she groaned, placing a hand to her head.

" Oh, God…" She muttered. " I think I need some sleep…" Hal laughed and, keeping an arm around her waist, he led her towards some stairs.

" Fortunately for you, I have convinced Mistress Quickly—" _Another Shakespearian character…_ Selene fuzzily thought, "—to give you a room for the night. It's just up those stairs and at the very end of the landing." Once at the base of the steps she removed his arm from around her waist.

" Thank you, Hal. For the room, the drinks… everything really," She said with a smile. He gave a bow with a grin, which made his eyes crinkle slightly on the side, something Selene found she liked. She turned to start walking up the stairs when his voice stopped her.

" Wouldst thou depart for bed before bestowing your Prince with a sweet kiss?" He asked, his words sounding jokingly Shakespearian… he was teasing her about her quote earlier. She smirked to herself and turned to face him. She may be fairly drunk, but she was not falling for _that_.

" My sweet kisses are not to be wasted upon those who merely wish for one. Thy lips must wait to earn such respect," Selene told him with a sweet smile before turning and slowly walking up the steps.

Hal watched with a smirk and crossed his arms. Mistress Quickly stepped over to him and smacked his arm with the back of her hand.

" You will have to work for that one," She told him. He quirked a brow with a scoff.

" So it seems I will…"

OOOO

The next morning Selene found herself sitting in the room she'd been given, gripping her head, which pounded with a headache. She'd admit she had _never_ been that drunk before… nor did she plan on ever being that drunk _again_. And she blamed it on someone. On _one_ person…

Prince Hal of Wales.

She figured she couldn't quite stay in the room all day, so she stood and fixed the bedraggled dress, sucking in a breath as her head swayed.

" Oh, Selene, damn you for letting Hal use his charms on you…" She muttered to herself, rubbing her head. She fumbled to pull the braid out of her hair, which was now wavy and curly more than it had been. She shuffled towards the door, squinting in the sunlight coming through the smeared windows, eventually making her way back into the tavern. She nodded to a few of the people she'd remembered from the night before, promptly falling into a chair, yawing and rubbing her temples.

Hal, despite the pounding in his head, was smiling as he walked through town, the sun now out and the ground still slightly muddy. He'd made it a point to see how that woman he met last night was. Selene. He honestly did believe that she was incredibly uncommon… but that was good. He'd grown to know many of the women's faces in London and had grown used to daily routines and what not; she seemed different and intriguing… and not to mention beautiful. He fixed a button on his red leather jacket and stepped over to the tavern door, ducking down to step through.

He found Selene sitting at a table sipping on what was probably a tankard full of water. By the grimace on her face, he could now truly believe that she really _wasn't_ a drinker. He nodded a good morning to Mistress Quickly and noted that Falstaff had yet to awaken… the drunken fat man was probably still sleeping off how many other drinks he'd had after Hal had left the night before. He pulled up a chair and sat on it backwards, arms resting on the chair back. He smiled at the woman, who slowly looked over at him.

" Oh God, please don't try and get me to drink more," She told him before quickly looking away from him.

" Good morning to you as well." Noticing she refused to look at him he arched a brow. " Is my face not a pleasant one to see in the morning?"

" No, it is, but—Oh that was _so_ a set up…" She muttered, blushing. Hal laughed and shook his head.

" I assure you it was not a rouse; however, I cannot deny I am not flattered by your comment… for I am. And, if we pass around compliments this morning, I must tell you your hair looks gorgeous down, I must request you keep it that way." Selene only gave a nod, sipping at the water in her tankard. " Now, I know your head must hurt—"

" Obviously…"

" –But I would very much like to show you around London. Perhaps I could even try to get you into the Palace," He told her, smiling. She rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair, beginning to smile. So… she could at either stay at the tavern and wait for the Doctor and Rose… or she could be introduced to London by none other than Prince Hal…

" I'd be delighted to be shown around," Selene told him, standing. Hal held out his arm for her to take and once she did, he led her from the tavern, the two earning a few looks.

OOOO

The next day the Doctor and Rose still hadn't shown up. So, after Hal showed up at the tavern again, she agreed to spend more time in London with him. Hal kept trying to get more information about where she'd come from, which proved unsuccessful. Selene prodded him into telling stories about pranks he and Poins had carried out, and eventually he told her about his father and of how it was painfully clear he wished Henry "Hotspur" to be his son and not him. It was after he'd told her such they stopped to just sit in a clearing in the forest just outside the city.

" Believe me, Hal, there are many people who understand how you feel," She told him, braiding the stems of some wild flowers together, creating a small wreath. He gave a grim smile and leaned back on his elbows.

" Are you one of them?" He inquired curiously, looking over to her. She now wore a sun lightened red dress that had black sleeves, allowing the petticoat to poof out of the sleeves on the side and a black the around the waist hung loosely around her hips, deciding to not stand out by wearing her jeans and what not. She quietly finished braiding in the last purple flowers and set it on her lap.

" To some means, yes. I suppose it's not exactly like the way you feel… though, with my friends, my traveling companions, I do feel as if I could be the one that could be the sacrifice, the one that if left behind no one would really… care," She told him with a shrug. After that day with the Beast… she'd thought more about it. Despite Rose and the Doctor's constant assurances that what she said wasn't true, there would always be that seed out doubt in her mind. After all, Rose and the Doctor cared for each other…

" If that is the truth, then perhaps they are not your true friends. And always remember that if you ever need a place to run to, to run away from the madness of your life, London will always be open to you. I will even convince the Palace guards to let you through," Hal assured her, sitting up and taking the flower wreath she made. He lifted it and placed it on her head, slowly smiling. He fixed it so it fit better and nodded at the make-shift crown. " Even with a crown of flowers you can pass for a noble woman or a princess. Perhaps a faerie princess whom has lost her wings and gives up her ways of destructive mischief," Hal suggested. She couldn't help the blush spreading across her cheeks and she smiled at him, nudging his shoulder.

" _Now_ who's the one speaking poetically, _My Prince,_" She teased. Hal laughed, which made his handsome eyes crinkle and his shoulders shake.

" You know, I still wait upon that kiss." He arched a brow, making an innocent face. Selene rolled her eyes and fiddled with the cross around her neck.

" I will become another notch on your bedpost, Hal," She told him, looking off. Hal gave her a long look and shook his head.

" I have not intention of that… well, not anymore, I will admit it might have crossed my mind before. I only ask for a kiss. One kiss. No beds, no notches. Only a kiss," He told her softly. Selene couldn't help the disbelieving laugh that bubbled past her lips. Hal arched a brow. " Have you discovered something I said to be funny?"

" No, it's just that… once someone hears about your history with women… what you just said comes as a surprise," She explained with a smile, meeting his eyes. She was surprised to see sincerity sitting in his gaze.

" As I said before… only a kiss."

_Selene, don't you __**dare**__ give in. You're too nice, you've had an emotional few weeks now stop staring at him and don't give in. Forget about the schoolgirl crush you've had on his character since sophomore year…_ She thought to herself, unable to tear her eyes away from the man sitting beside her. Just as Hal turned his head away to think of something else to say, he found his face quickly turned back.

His eyes barely had time to adjust when a pair of soft lips gently captured his. Selene couldn't help it. It was Prince Hal. He returned the kiss with a bit more strength, and placed a hand at the nape of her neck. His lips were chapped slightly from cool air and drinking. She'd been kissed twice now in the last week or so… her first kisses in a while and instead of berating herself she could only think one thing:

Prince Hal was one _hell_ of a kisser.

OOOO

" Oh! Yes, yes, excuse me," The Doctor quickly said, catching the attention of Hattie. He waved her over and once she stood in front of him he then continued to speak. " Say, we've been looking for a lost friend of our for a day or two. She may have introduced herself as Selene Thomas?"

" Tell her what she looks like," Suggested Rose, nudging his arm.

" Ah, yes, she's about this tall, curly brown hair, about her age, just a bit older, actually," The Doctor continued on, gesturing to Selene's height and then to Rose on the age comment. Hattie arched a brow as she thought.

" Wearing trousers, hair in a braid? Odd accent?" Hattie enquired.

" Yes! Yes!"

" Yeah, she came in 'bout two days ago."

" That's great where is she?" Rose asked. She'd figured their stupid argument could be forgotten about… she was lost in the fourteen hundreds, _that_ was more important.

" Sorry, she left this morning," Hattie said, tucking a rag into the waistband of her skirt.

" This morning?" The Doctor asked, voice turning grim. " Was anyone with her?"

" Yeah, she and Hal left just before noon."

" _Hal?_" The Doctor's brows furrowed. " Hal who?" Hattie gave him a disbelieving look.

" The son of our King. Prince Hal of Wales."

The Doctor's eyes widened in shock.

" _Oh. __**That**_Hal… Rose, we should go find her. _Now_," The Doctor urged.

" Oi, if you two are about to go after her, bring 'er clothes with you. They've been dry for 'bout a day."

" Right, we'll do that." Hattie left to grab Selene's clothes and he spun to face Rose. " I'm getting a bad feeling about this."

" Just 'cause she's out with the Prince of Wales?" Rose asked skeptically, crossing her arms. The Doctor shook his head, scratching the back of his head.

" No, no, it isn't just that… something is just off in general… something… something…" He struggled for a word. Rose's eyebrows lifted as she looked around the tavern.

" Alien?" She suggested.

" _Exactly._"

OOOO

" Selene! Selene!" The Doctor's voice echoed through the woods, both he and Rose trying to find their lost friend. Their search of London had proved fruitless and their best bet, since she was with the Prince, was search anywhere leading to the Palace, including side roads. They checked trees and behind some boulders, but eventually stopped when they saw two figures sitting in a small clearing just off the road. The Doctor quietly led the way into the clearing, both he and Rose suddenly freezing.

There, in the clearing, sat Selene and a tall man, seemingly attached at the lips, pressed a bit to close together for the Doctor's liking.

" What? _What? What!?_" The Doctor sputtered loudly, causing the two to quickly jump apart. Selene stared at them for a moment before saying,

" I see you finally showed up," Selene said as Hal looked momentarily confused.

" Yes, we did!"

" Now, if you'd excuse us," Hal dismissed, moving in to kiss Selene once again. The Doctor ran over and pushed between the two, pulling Selene up.

" No, no, no!" He swiftly pulled out the Sonic and pointed it at Hal, who sat shocked on the ground. As the Sonic began to light up and whir, the Doctor began to scan Hal, who scrambled back a bit.

" What the _Hell_ is that!? Are you threatening the Prince?" He exclaimed, pulling the Prince card for the first time in a long while. His brows were pulled together and he looked fairly shocked.

" Well, he's not what's off…" The Doctor muttered, pocketing the Sonic.

" Wait, wait, what do you mean 'off?'" Selene asked, confused.

" The Doctor seems to think that there might be something alien around here," Rose explained. The brunette groaned.

" Really? We never get away from all of that, do we?"

" May I inquire who you two are?" Hal spat as he stood, crossing his arms.

" Oh, yes, I'm sorry, Your Highness," The Doctor said in a monotone. " I am the Doctor and that is Rose… and it would appear that you already know Selene."

Before any further conversation could happen, a mechanic stomping began to get closer. Selene's head whipped around and she met the Doctor's gaze. Both of them were clearly thinking the same thing; _it can't be…_

" Best not to be out in the open to find out," He muttered out loud. Selene grabbed Hal's hand and yanked him out of the clearing and behind a tree.

" Shh!" She urged him. The Doctor and Rose looked around frantically as they hid as well hoping that what they heard was only a trick of the mind.

" What are we hiding from?" Hal whispered, sounding confused. Selene clapped a hand over his mouth and pushed him up against the tree, peering around it.

Metal caught against sunlight. The sound of stomping accompanied by the sound of pistons working quickly got louder. Then the all too familiar sight of a Cyberman came into view, making the trio of time travelers freeze in shock. Hal, who'd managed to turn his head under Selene's hand, stared in confusion. There was only one of the metallic men marching, which made the Doctor think that something had gone wrong; that somehow this Cyberman got left behind and was now wandering around: it's metal was slightly tarnished, mud caked its feet and leaves were beginning to get stuck in crevices and cracks in the arms. As it passed, they all slowly walked out.

" What the hell was that thing?" Hal asked in a hushed voice, pointing to the road.

" It's called a Cyberman. Essentially it's a man made out of metal that can kill you with one touch… It must have gotten caught in a… a _time vortex_ or something of the sort because it seems as if it's only _one_ of them…" The Doctor mused, face getting that distant look.

" I am sorry, perhaps I heard you wrong… a man made out of metal? Do you mean a man in a suit of armor?"

" No, Hal, it's a man _made_ out of metal. Well… it was once a person, but not anymore," Selene told him before gesturing to the road. " This road leads where, exactly?"

" Back to the city and by a number of side roads, the Palace of Westminster, my home, but, please, if you would continue to attempt to explain what is going on I'd be _very_ grateful," Hal insisted. He would have normally just settled on this group of people being crazy, but he'd spent the last two days with Selene and he was fairly sure that she was perfectly sane… perhaps her friends weren't, but she was. He'd wonder for years what that day would have been like if the Doctor and Rose hadn't shown up in the woods… but his time for contemplation was yet to come.

" The Palace… the Palace, your _father!_ The King! Oh, oh, _no_," The Doctor exclaimed, grabbing fistfuls of his spiky hair. Rose's eyes widened as she pointed to Hal.

" You don't think that it's after his father do you?" She asked.

" Well, if Cybermen are out to delete the human race, what better place to start than the king of the people?" The Doctor asked before turning his eyes on Hal. " And then his son." Selene looked over at him, brows creasing in worry. Hal arched a brow and rested a nervous hand on the hilt of his sword, which hung on his hip. He eyed each of them individually and was able to infer that 'delete' was 'kill'… and apparently whatever that _thing_ on the road was, it might kill his father and then him.

" I think it is time you explained what is going on and where exactly you come from," Hal stated in a smooth voice that was full of authority. His back was straight and his head was tilted upwards slightly, looking every bit of the prince he was raised to be.

OOOO

Two of the Palace's gate guards had been killed; it probably didn't help that they were wearing chainmail and the Cyberman used an electric shock to kill them. On the jog back to the Palace, the time travelers managed to answer Hal's questions. Of course he laughed for a moment believing them insane, but Selene urged him to think about what he'd seen marching down the road, the Sonic Screwdriver, how odd her clothes were and even how she talked. Then Hal was quiet for a good few minutes before staring at them all in shock.

They now inched their way into the Palace, stepping lightly as they went. Hal had his sword drawn and constantly urged Selene to stay behind him, ignoring any looks he got from either her or the Doctor, who watched his every move when he got too close to Selene. The Palace hallways were gorgeous; they were constructed out of tan stone and were vaulted, each window having unique carvings surrounding it. They also created mazes that would cause them to get lost had Hal not been there to lead them around.

" Where would your father be?" The Doctor asked.

" It is now late evening… I would not be surprised if he was headed to sleep for the night," Hal told them.

" Well let's go then!" The Doctor took off at a run, coat tails flapping behind him. Selene covered her mouth and laughed into her hand, meeting Rose's eyes, who was biting back a laugh. Hal's brows furrowed as the Doctor slowly walked back. " That's the wrong way, isn't it?"

" Yes."

" Lead the way then…"

Hal smirked a bit and turned to the left where a massive staircase sat. They jogged up the steps, all thought of trying to be quiet gone. They passed servants who curtsied to their prince and stared at the other three in confusion. They rounded a corner and found a particularly petite maid crouched down, huddled against the wall. Sheathing his sword, Hal bent over and placed a hand on her shoulder.

" What happened?" He asked her softly.

" Th-there was a m-monster; a demon, sir! It stamped through the halls and towards your father's chambers, some of us tried to stop it but-but—"

" Keep calm, just stay and rest. We will be sure to take care of it," Hal assured her, standing up and unsheathing his sword again. " We only have one more hall to go, let us hurry."

Just as they were about to round the corner, a loud yell echoed out. Hal took off in a sprint towards a large oak door, throwing it open once he got to it. His father stood sword drawn, glaring at the Cyberman in front of him, chanting the familiar,

" _Delete, delete, delete, delete._" Hal rushed to strike it with his sword.

" Hal, get your father _away_ from it! Swords won't stop it!" Selene shouted as she stumbled through the door with the Doctor and Rose in tow. Hal dropped the sword once he saw Selene's pointed look and grabbed his father's arm, pulling him away from the metal man.

" Selene, Rose, _move!_" The Doctor shouted, yanking out the Sonic. He pointed it at the Cyberman and pressed the button, causing the high pitched whir to emanate. The Cyberman suddenly clamped its hands onto its head and let out a loud yelling sound. It then collapsed, twitching once or twice before it stopped moving completely. " I think that may do it actually… rather easy this time 'round," He mused, carefully nudging the Cyberman with his shoe. He then looked up at the two startled royals and said, " I think it best neither of you tell this to anyone ever, hm?"

OOOO

Riding back to the TARDIS on horseback was much faster than walking, and much easier. However, the Doctor still wasn't all too happy about Hal's situation with Selene; the Prince had insisted that they could only take three horses, and thus Selene then had to ride with him. He had his arms around her, holding the reins, and she held onto the front of the saddle. When they stopped in front of the blue phone box, Hal scoffed in disbelief.

" Dear God, it is real," He muttered to himself as he kept his horse in one spot. Selene laughed and rolled her eyes, sliding off the horse.

" Well, as fun as it's been being lost around London, I say it's time to get back in the TARDIS," The Doctor said, walking over to the doors, unlocking it. Rose followed and as Selene began to as well, Hal's hand took hers as he suddenly began to walk beside her. She looked over at him and smiled.

" I still can't believe I met you," She admitted with a laugh. He chuckled as well, swiping a hand through her hair.

" And I you. However, I wish you would not go." He stopped walking under one of the trees and she stopped as well. He took her other hand and fully faced her. " If you would stay, I can believe it could be said that you could possibly be the next Queen of England, right by my side." He smiled softly at her, running a thumb over the back of her hand, the warm metal of his ring resting on her skin.

The Doctor stared at the Prince in shock. Rose stared at the two from her spot in the doorway.

" She can't say yes, can she? I mean… we would've noticed if _she'd_ been a queen right? There would be portraits, books, specials about her on the telly…" Rose asked with some worry. The Doctor sighed and shook his head.

" That doesn't mean history can't be changed. That time can't. She would be messing up all of time and space… but she could do it. She wouldn't even have to be the queen, she could be the unknown mistress of Henry the Fifth… we would never have known…" The Doctor muttered, face going blank as he waited to hear what Selene's response was.

Selene smiled back at him and shook his hands slightly.

" As sweet as that is… as _really_ sweet as that is, Hal, I know history, and I'm not the Queen," She told him. " I have to go, Hal, it's the way things _have_ to be. But that doesn't mean that I'm not going to see you ever again. In fact, with the way my life is, I probably _will_ see you again. But, here, take this." She let go of his hands and reached up to her necklace, pulling the long chain over her head. Selene took Hal's right hand and placed the cross into his palm, allowing the chain to slither down around it. He smiled down at it and then pulled the gold ring off his thumb. On the oval face of it, his family crest was carved into it and a number of scratches marred the sides.

" Only if you take this," He told her, placing it in her palm. She nodded and slid it onto her right thumb as Hal pulled the necklace around his neck.

" I'll see you around, Hal. Thanks for showing me around London… and for proving I shouldn't drink." She laughed and swept some hair out of her face. Hal chuckled, his eyes crinkling in the way Selene loved and he placed a hand on the side of her face, leaning down and giving her a kiss. She placed a hand on his shoulder and returned the kiss before smiling and pulling back.

" That's rather sweet, actually, isn't it?" Rose asked with a small smile.

" Suppose…" The Doctor said quietly. " Come on, we need to get going! Places to see, people to save!" His voice got louder on that, gesturing Rose inside and waiting for Selene to walk in. Selene gave a long kiss to Hal's cheek before giving him a tight hug. She waved to him before stepping into the TARDIS, disappearing inside.

Hal watched her go with a saddened expression, something that honestly surprised the Doctor. He met the Time Lord's eyes and nodded to him, suddenly standing in that Princely stance.

" Your world is one of danger and demons. You must swear to me you will keep her safe—keep the Almost Queen of England safe for me, do you so swear on that?" Hal asked sternly. The Doctor nodded to him.

" I swear."

" I will hold you to that, Lord of Time. Farewell and Godspeed," Hal said with a nod. The Doctor shut the door and nodded himself. Turning, he found Rose and Selene _finally _making amends to their rather pointless argument from earlier. _It only took three days, a Cyberman and a Prince to do it…_ The Doctor thought with a smirk.

As the TARDIS engine's whirred and the time machine began to disappear from the fields of England, Hal was left standing by his horses, fingering the cross with the moonstone at the center of it. When he then stood alone, he smiled and looked around with an eyebrow quirked. Life was becoming a truly strange place.

OOOO

It was the phone call later in the day that completely peeved Rose. It had been from her mother, who was extremely upset, which caused a fury inside Rose once she heard what had happened. There'd been a man who had promptly led Jackie on and then she discovered his intentions were absolutely not what she'd thought them to be.

" We're heading back to your mother's," The Doctor said.

" And we'll find out whoever did this to her," Selene assured, resting a hand on Rose's shoulder.

OOOO

The TARDIS materialized in an alley. Leaves scattered about and the sounds of the engines echoed into the grey sky. The Doctor slowly opened the door and stepped out, Selene behind him, shutting the door. Both had rather solemn looks on their faces as they stared at the scene before them. Elton, the man from the warehouse, knelt on the stone ground, staring at them in shock. Then, there was this alien… _thing_ that had an arm outstretched towards him. It was bulky and greenish in color, a strip of black hair running across the top of its head. Faces also appeared to make up parts of its stomach, back and sides, but at the moment, they didn't really have time to question what was going on.

" Someone wants a word with you," The Doctor told her. Rose marched out of the TARDIS, looking beyond just pissed off.

" _You_ upset my mum!" She spat at Elton. The blond man blinked a moment and slowly gestured to the alien at his side.

" Great… big… absorbing monster from outer space and… you're having a go at me?" He asked in a timid and confused voice, gesturing back at himself.

" _No one_ upsets my mum!"

" At last! The greatest feast of all! The _Doctor,_" The alien garbled, grinning and licking its lips in a repulsive manor.

" _Interesting_. A sort of… _Absorbatrix?_ Absorba…clom? Asorbaloff?" The Doctor, questioned stepping forward.

" Asorbaloff, yes!"

" Is it me, or is he a bit… Slitheen?" Rose asked the Doctor quietly.

" Whatever it is, it's sort of… gross," Selene added as she eyed it.

" Not from Raxacoricofallapatorius, are you?" The Doctor inquired, head tilting to the side.

" No, I'm not! They're swine! I spit on them! I was born on their twin planet," The Asorbaloff spat.

" Really? What's the twin planet of Raxacoricofallapatorius?" The Doctor's brow arched in curiosity.

" Clom."

A pause.

" _Clom?_" The Doctor asked.

" That is _so much_ easier to say and to remember," Selene said, nodding.

" Clom, yes. And I shall return there victorious, once I possess your traveling machine.

" Well, _that's_ never gonna happen!" The Time Lord scoffed, shoving his hands in his pockets.

" It will! You'll surrender yourself to me, Doctor, or _this one_ dies!" He gestured to Elton with a cane he held. " You see, I've read about you, Doctor. I've studied you. _So_ passionate, _so_ sweet, _you _wouldn't let an _innocent_ man die! And I'll absorb him unless you give yourself to me," The Asorbaloff said with a smirk, hand inching towards Elton.

The Doctor began to scratch the back of his head, fingers running through his hair. His face scrunched up in thought.

" _Sweet? _Maybe… _Passionate?_ I suppose, but don't _ever_ mistake that for nice." The alien looked at him in shock. The Doctor nodded to Elton saying, " Do what you want."

" He'll _die_, Doctor!" The Asorbaloff reminded.

" Go on."

Another pause ensued as Selene, Rose, Elton and the Asorbaloff exchanged brief glances.

" So be it!"

" Mind you, the _others_ might have something to say," The Doctor said, nodding to the faces jutting from the alien's skin.

" _Others?_"

" He's right! The Doctor's right!" Came a woman's voice, one of the faces beginning to talk. " We can't let him! Oh, Mister Skinner, Bridget, _pull!_ For God's sake, pull! If it's the last thing we _ever do_! Bliss! All of us together! Come on! Pull! LINDA united! Pull!"

The Asorbaloff yelled out as the faces began to pull away from its skin, stretching and yanking painfully. He dropped his cane, causing the woman's face to yell out,

" Elton the cane! _Break it!_"

Elton scrambled on his knees to grab it, cracking it in two over his knee. The two silver clasped hands on top of the cane opened, causing the Asorbaloff to yell out, suddenly dissolving into liquid. They all stared at the puddle in the sudden silence.

" What did I do?" Elton asked softly.

" The cane created a limitation field. Now it's broken, he can't stop. The _absorber_ is being _absorbed_," The Doctor explained as the Asorbaloff puddle began to disappear.

" By what?"

" By the earth."

One of the stone tiles began pull up on the front, just enough for a faint impression of a woman's face to appear…

" Bye-bye, Elton… bye-bye…" The tile flattened out and Elton stared at it sadly, bright blue eyes watering.

" Elton, who was she?" Selene asked softly, wringing her hands with a sad look, tears threatening to brim over, just like Rose. He looked up at her.

" That was Ursula," He said in a broken voice. Rose walked over and knelt beside him, wrapping her arms around his back as he began to cry, staring at the ground. Sighing, Selene put an arm around the Doctor's waist, who held her against his side, letting his head drop onto hers for a moment.

After a good few minutes of crying and calming down, they took Elton and sat him down on a small stoop, the Doctor suddenly knowing why he'd looked so familiar. His brows creased together as he asked,

" You don't remember, do you?" Elton shook his head.

" Remember what?" The blond man asked quietly, Rose still holding onto his arm.

" When you were young… there was a shadow in your house. A… living shadow in the darkness. An elemental shade that had escaped the Hallowing Halls. I stopped it, but… I wasn't in time to save _her_… I'm sorry…" The Doctor whispered. He remembered that night all too well. He'd arrived too late to save the blond woman who'd been standing in the living room… Elton's mother.

There was a long moment as Selene rubbed Elton's back before she turned to the Doctor. She gave a small smile.

" I _know_ you can use the Sonic to do one last thing for Elton…" Selene said softly. A hopeful look was in her eyes and the Doctor smirked a bit as she elbowed him to get moving. He bounded over to the tiles where the Asorbaloff had disappeared, crouching down and balancing on his Converse clad toes, Sonic aimed at the ground.

" If I can key into the absorption matrix and separate the last victim… It's too late for total reconstruction, _but…_" There was a bubbling sound as the Doctor stood, " Elton! Fetch a spade!"

OOOO

So, after helping Elton out that one last time, they jumped back into the TARDIS and made way for whatever adventure was next to happen.

" Let's find out what happens to our favorite Prince," Rose teased as the Doctor began to search the monitor for files on Hal. She turned to Selene, who was smirking slightly as the Time Lord muttered something about 'pompous royalty,' and asked, " Would you have actually married him?" The Doctor allowed himself to listen as Selene began to respond.

" No. He has a Princess to marry—a French princess. I may have a minor crush on him but I wouldn't marry him. He is one of my favorite Shakespeare characters… Not to mention he actually is quite attractive," Selene admitted, laughing and smiling. The Doctor smiled a bit as it seemed her depressed mood had gone away.

" Well, we should all be glad to know that history has stayed basically the same. Hal married Catherine of Valois, had a son… Hang on a moment…" The Doctor's brows furrowed. " There's a few new portraits." The two women crowded around the monitor and stared at the very first portrait of Hal as king. Selene laughed and grinned, noticing something rather familiar in Hal's hand…

Over his poised hand, something incredibly familiar was draped. There was a necklace with its gold chain interwoven between his fingers, and the pendant on the end rested against the back of his hand; it was a golden cross with small roses etched into the sides and a shining moonstone set in the center. Selene felt a smile pull onto her face as she stared at the painted version of her necklace on Hal's hand. She clasped her own hands together and ran her fingers over Hal's ring, feeling the impression of the family crest under the pad of her thumb.

_oooOooo_

_ Hal stared towards the painter, keeping his head held high. He'd been crowned King less than a week ago and this was his very first portrait as King. His mind slipped to the necklace in his hand, memories floating back to the woman who gave it to him. He ran a thumb over the chain and his hand shifted, causing the cross to bump against his skin gently. A smile pulled onto his face as he stared down at the moonstone inlaid in the special piece of jewelry; he could still see it sitting around Selene's neck. _

**Selene…**_ He thought, chuckling to himself. _**The Almost Queen of England**.

_ The painter cleared his throat abruptly, catching Hal's attention. A slight glare was fixed on the new King, who said,_

_ " My apologies."_

_ He forced the smile away, but it didn't leave his eyes. The cross continued to bump teasingly against his hand and pull at well-missed memories. The sun glinted off the golden cross as it finally settled against Hal's skin, finding its rightful place._

_**Afterword:**__** Hi. So. Yeah. There's that chapter… I'm VERY if-y on this one… I've been working on this for an ENTIRE WEEK. I got the idea for it after watching a production of Henry IV (it was filmed at the Globe and it was AMAZING), so I started writing it once I kind of realized that each companion sort of has at least one person (famous or not) that fancies them: Rose has Mickey, Martha has Shakespeare, Donna has her husband in that alternate universe and then eventually her actual fiancé, Amy has Van Gough… So I thought maybe Selene should too… and then this came to mind and I wrote it up… yeah… So… I was worried she'd seem too (God, I can't find a word for it…) Player-y (?) since in the last chapter Toby had a thing for her…**_

_** Uhg, if you didn't like it, I'm sorry DX**_

_** Also, I took all of your AMAZING suggestions and wrote them down so I can use them later on =D**_

_**REVIEW REPLIES:**_

**The Yoshinator:**_ I'm glad you like the original scenes, they're really fun to write. I LOVE the idea of Nintendo being inspired by aliens. I'll definitely have to use that sometime! I really hope the chapter wasn't too… weird… Thanks again!_

** :**_ I WAS going to do Lewis and Clark originally… I had the beginning written up… then I lost the plot XD But I hope the Doctor seemed at least a little jealous during this, because… well… it was Prince Hal, and Tom Hiddleston's portrayal at that XD I'm sorry your laptop likes to get viruses… with me that always happens when I have a paper due -_- I hope the chapter wasn't too weird, thanks again!_

**Jayceejade:**_ Yeah, Selene hasn't been having a good few weeks it seems… but it has all been resolved for the moment and the next one will be fun to write! (It's Fear Her, another one of my favorites) Again, I say I hope the chapter wasn't weird, and thank you again!_

**grapejuice101:** _The ending WAS quite sad… poor Selene… I hope this wasn't a too-off chapter. Thanks again!_

**Whyna Katran:**_ Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it! And I would do anything for warm weather right now… we keep getting snow and I'm sick of it! But again, I thank you and hope you enjoyed this chapter!_

**E-Man-dy-S:**_ I'm glad you like the story! Hope this chapter was satisfactory! Thanks again!_

**dirtyconfessions:**_ I'm glad you've enjoyed all the chapters and the last one (and hopefully this weird one…) and he does believe in both of them, it's quite sweet =D And I've marked down the idea of seeing Jesus' birth down, because I DO believe that he says that… I'll check into it XD And thanks again!_

**KatieTheBaka:**_ I'm glad you've been enjoying! Thanks again!_

**Evil's Horcrux:**_ Again, I've marked down your ideas, because I plan on doing more original adventures in the future! Cleopatra sounds pretty good XD Gotta love her! Thanks again and hope you enjoyed!_

**Blusilver:**_ Edgar Allan Poe… I love him. It's really weird, I was talking with someone a month or so ago saying the show should have them go visit him, because he just SEEMS like someone aliens would plague at SOME POINT. Anyway, I'll definitely do that one some time and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!_

_**And thank you do those who have read and added this to their story alerts/favorites, it means a lot!**_

_** So, that's it for this chapter! Let me know what you think about all the weirdness I wrote. If you enjoyed Hal and want to see him again at some point, be sure to let me know. Also, updates may be slower again. I JUST finished performing in A Chorus Line (Broadway choreography in a school production… THAT was fun…) and now I'm delving RIGHT into a Shakespeare production. I like to torture myself with a LOT of theatre. So, anyway, let me know what you think, you are all AWESOME!**_

_**~Mary **_


	10. Fear Her

_Disclaimer:__ I do not own Doctor Who (the worlds, plots, creatures etc.) or any of the characters; I only own my OC Selene and her family._

_**Foreword: A thank you to grapejuice101 who helped me out with some details in this chapter! You rock, my friend!**_

10. Fear Her

" Feeling nice and relaxed yet?" Rose asked Selene as they strolled towards the console room. They'd been a few trips around the universe without many dangerous alien encounters-the worst having been the one Cyberman bent on killing King Henry IV-and the trio of travelers were thankful for the rest they were getting. Selene laughed and nodded, twisting the Hal's crest ring on her thumb.

" Surprisingly yes," she agreed. She was telling the truth; she was feeling relaxed and happy again, which she was glad of. " And… is it just me, or does the Doctor seem like a happy five year-old?" She nodded to said Time Lord who they could see as they entered the console room. He was jogging around the controls, muttering things to himself as he grinned and spun to pull switches. Rose snorted and burst out laughing as they soon joined him. As the two continued to laugh, the Doctor smiled at them and arched a brow.

" What're you two laughing at now?" he inquired. Rose nudged Selene's shoulder as the two attempted to sober up and replied with,

" Oh, you know, Hal." The Doctor face twisted into something that resembled contempt and he grumbled, turning to look at the controls again. The two women both laughed again at the face he made. It had become a running joke to bring up Hal to see his reaction; it was a joke that he was getting rapidly tired of. The Doctor honestly didn't care for the man. He was… pompous and womanizing and the way that he had been around Selene… the looks he'd given her the way he had _kissed _her… he just wasn't worth the attention…

Clearing his throat, the Doctor turned his thoughts away from the prince and looked over at the women.

" What were you really laughing about then?" He arched a brow and soberly twisted a knob or two. Selene eyed the controlled look on his face and walked over to him, leaning against the console. She bent her head down so he had to look at her.

" _You_ if you must know," she told him, grinning, " You looked like you were having so much fun, it was sort of… adorable. Does that word fit?" She looked over at Rose. The blond laughed and fixed one of her side ponytail, nodding.

" Yeah! Most definitely!" Rose grinned at the Doctor, who couldn't help but smile at the two. He fixed his loosened tie a bit and flipped another switch with renewed enthusiasm.

" So, who's up for some excitement?" the Doctor questioned, turning to face them.

" I think we could use some. Because, ya know, after all this relaxation, we need to get our blood pumping again!" Rose exclaimed, grinning. The Doctor giggled and jumped up and down a few times before spinning to the controls again.

" Right, well let's get to it!"

The TARDIS engines whirred and signaled the beginning of a new adventure.

" So, where're we going?" Selene pressed, trailing behind the Doctor as he circled the console. He hummed for a moment, smirking.

" Oh, what's the fun in telling you? It'll be a great surprise!" he told her, sending a wink over his shoulder. " Besides, aren't you the one who can tell the future?"

" Well, I have no idea what happens between the episodes, so I wouldn't know exactly, would I?" she challenged, crossing her arms. Rose, who was sitting in the pilot's seat, grinned.

" She's got a point there, Doctor," she said with a laugh. The Doctor rolled his eyes and yanked a lever, the TARDIS jolting and the engines whirring to life. As the whirring began to die down, the Time Lord bounded towards the doors, sliding long arms through his sleeves. " He's always got to be cryptic, doesn't he?" Rose looked at Selene with a smirk, who returned it.

" I think it's in his job description."

The TARDIS, blue light pulsing, had parked itself between two metal storage crates, the door facing one of the cold metal sides. So, as the Doctor pulled open the creaky door, he came face to face with a metal wall. He looked up and noted how tight the fit was; they wouldn't be able to wedge their way out.

" Ah," was all he softly said before spinning around and shutting the door. He pointed at Selene and then the console. " Mind twisting that red knob there? Once clockwise then pull the lever." He nodded in confirmation when she pointed to a small knob by her hip. She turned and twisted it once then pulled the lever again, the engines wheezing to life. The brunette woman smiled at the fact she'd just done the bare minimum of flying the TARDIS. She was really happy with life right now. The engines thudded and the Doctor threw the door open.

" AH!" His voice was more enthusiastic now, and he grinned when he stepped out onto damp pavement. TARDIS successfully turned. Both women followed him out, immediately surrounded by the noise of construction. Sun was peaking out from behind grey clouds, creating God-Rays every here and there. Rose looked around and noted a set of Shayne Ward posters, which advertised an upcoming concert.

" So, near future, yeah?" she questioned. Fixing the skirt of her pink dress, Selene mentally noted the episode. Fear Her. Oh, this was going to be fun, wasn't it? People getting turned into drawings. Oh the fun…

" I had a passing fancy. Only it didn't pass. It stopped," he replied, sinking his hands into his pockets. He nodded for them to walk with him down the rain-spattered street, which led into a suburban row of houses.

" Well, thank God for your passing fancies, otherwise we'd be bored out of our minds half the time!" Selene said with a smile, resolving to deal with the problems as they came. If she thought over what to do too much, she'd look frantic and in the world of the Doctor, looking frantic or afraid usually put one in dangerous situations. The Doctor returned the smile and nodded to a banner, which spanned the width of the street, clinging to two lampposts.

" Thirtieth Olympiad!"

" Oh, no way!" Rose exclaimed, looping her arm through the Doctor's. The grin spreading across her face was enormous. The Olympics! Why hadn't she ever thought of that? The Doctor grinned back at her and offered Selene his other arm, which she happily took. " Why didn't I ever think of this? That's great!"

" Oh, only seems like yesterday a few naked Greek blokes were tossing a discus about, wrestling in the sand and crowds stood around and, b—no, wait a minute… that was Club Med." He laughed and bumped into both women, who gave him an odd look.

" Well, believe it or not, this is my time. Twenty-twelve, the year of the London Olympics," Selene told them with a grin.

" Well, don't spoil what's gonna happen then!" he told her cheekily. She tugged on his coat sleeve and skipped a few steps.

" Who said I was gonna? And who said I've seen what happens yet?" Rose laughed at the secretive look Selene plastered on her face. The Doctor snorted and rolled his eyes, looking at all of the brick houses.

" Regardless if you've seen it or not, we're just in time for the opening doo-dah, ceremony, tonight. Last one they had in London was dynamite. Wembley, nineteen forty-eight, I loved it so much I went back and watched it all over again! Fella carrying the torch…" The Doctor began to try and figure out the man's name, but Rose had stopped listening after the word 'doo-dah.' There had been a man in plaid shirt pinning a poster up to a lamppost, face decidedly solemn. Rose veered off course having let go of the Time Lord's arm; she fiddled with a hoop earring as she stopped to read the poster.

" Selene, Doctor," she said with concern. The first call was enough to pull Selene over, but the Doctor continued to reminisce about the torch runner. " Doctor!" Rose called out again.

" Did you ever have those little cakes with the crunch ball bearings on top?

" You should _really_ look at this!"

" Do you know those things?" he questioned as he turned around to walk over to the lamppost. " No one else in the entire galaxy's ever even bothered to make edible ball bearings. Genius."

The three stared at the three posters; all missing persons posters. For three different children. Immediately the Doctor asked,

" What's taken them, do you think?" He turned and used his keen senses to search around the area. " Snatching up children from a thoroughly ordinary street like this. And why's it so cold?" Selene rubbed her arms, which were clad in a thin off-white jacket; her bare legs were starting to get goose bumps from the cool wind weaving down the street. " Is something reducing the temperature?"

" It says they all went missing this week…" Rose muttered, " Why would a person do something like this?"

" Who said it was a person? Perhaps it's an 'it' or a 'thing,'" Selene said softly, tossing hair from her face.

" Whatever it is…" The three looked at a woman who swiftly walked out of her house to put out the trash, and returned inside equally as quick. " It's got the whole street scared to death." And that was the most odd thing about the neighborhood. There was no one outside; where kids usually played on their front lawns, the grass was left vacant and the only sound were a set of high-pitched wind chimes that tinkled constantly. In fact, the only other people on the street besides the three time travelers were two road workers, laboring over a spot on the side of the pavement.

" Doctor, what—" Rose began, but when the two women turned, he had already sprinted down the street, tan coat billowing out behind him. Rose looked at Selene with a wary expression, which caused the second woman to shrug her shoulders uselessly.

" When in doubt, follow the Time Lord with spiky hair," Selene muttered. As they began to follow him, she added, " and this was the _worst_ day to wear a dress."

The Doctor stopped on a small front lawn, right in front of a child's football goal post. He scrunched his eyebrows and held out a hand, which began to tingle. He crouched down and held his hand closer to the ground, mouth going slack with minor concentration. The tingling got stronger closer to the green grass, which made his mind begin to turn in thought.

A car stalled in the middle of the street, and as Rose went to help, Selene continued to walk down the sidewalk. She looked at all the houses and all the abandoned playthings on the lawns. She was reminded of how she used to play with her older sister back home; how they'd get into fights and one of them would have ended up pushed off a swing or sent sprawling onto hot cement from atop a bike. Remembering those times made her smile, but then that smile faltered as she realized how long ago it had seemed since she'd been sucked from Boston. How long _had_ it been? Selene shook her head and reminded herself of the painful resolve she'd made to try to not think about her family, since it was very unlikely she'd see them again. But even as she pushed those thoughts aside, something else budged into the forefront of her mind… something that was beginning to make her head pound and make her stomach ache.

Her memory hadn't been working at its maximum capacity since she fell into the Doctor Who universe; she figured it was the car crash, the time vortex or whatever brought her there and the other bangs and bruises she'd been enduring. But now she remembered what was next. What was coming up in the near—the far too near—future. She saw flashes of the Doctor's tear stained and saddened face. She saw make-up streaked cheeks on a sobbing Rose. A wall between two hands and separated fates. Stopping and wincing for a moment, she pressed the heel of her hand against her temple. Why was she remembering this _now_? It was pushing against her skull with a throbbing, angry, headache. That was it though… wasn't it? She remembered why both the Time Lord and the blonde were so sad. It was because soon Rose was going to—

_ ROAR._

A car engine jumped to life as the stalled car began to work again. Selene shook her head and blinked heavily to dismiss pain and thoughts. She'd think about that later… or maybe she just wouldn't think about it at all…

The Doctor giggled as he smiled at his hand.

" Hmm! Tickles!" he said to himself, not noticing the person suddenly looming over him. It was a middle-aged man in a striped maroon shirt, looking down unpleasantly at the man on his lawn. Children were being kidnapped, he didn't particularly like the look of a strange man in his front yard.

" What's your game?" the man asked sternly, catching the Time Lord's attention. He turned to look up, trying to formulate a coherent, proper answer in his head.

" My… um…" His brows creased and the next thing he said was, " Snakes and ladders? I'm quite good at… Squash. Reasonable. I'm… being facetious, aren't I?"

" Yes you are, Doctor," Selene said, quickly jogging over. She grabbed his arm to pull him up, meeting the man's gaze. It was such an intense look that, once it was turned on her, she now understood why the Doctor had been stuttering. " There's really no call for being facetious… um… sorry about him he's a bit… um…"

" I don't care what he is, I just wanna know why he's sitting on my lawn," he said, anger slipping into his voice.

" Look, we're sorry to have trespassed on your property…" Selene began to say, looking up at the Doctor for help.

" But, uh, we have good reason!" The Doctor nodded enthusiastically with a reasoning tone of voice. She nodded as well, still under the man's gaze.

" And what reason would that be then? 'Cause I'd like to know why I shouldn't be calling the police right now!" he snapped, crossing his arms.

" We're the police! Here about the missing children!" the Doctor said quickly as the man began to advance on the two. He stuck an arm out in front of Selene as if to protect her and they began to pick up the pace of walking as the man seemed to get angrier.

" You're liars, that's what you are!"

" W-we're police officers, that's what we are! We've got badges and a police car," the Doctor tried to reason as they backed up into a conversation between Rose, an old woman and one of the road workers. " You don't have to—I can prove it, just hold on." He began to rummage around his pocket for the Psychic Paper, but the maroon-shirted man was having none of it.

" We've had plenty of coppers poking 'round here and _neither_ of you look or sound like any of them! Especially _her!_" He jabbed a finger at both of them before turning it specifically on Selene. Her brows furrowed and she couldn't help slight offence slipping into her voice as she impulsively reacted with,

" Hey!"

" Well, she may be in a dress, but that's no way to tell if she isn't an officer! And, look! We've got a colleague… _Lewis._"

" Well she looks less like a copper than either of you," the man said, nodding to the jeans and the one side ponytail.

" Training, new recruit," the Doctor dismissed casually, looking over at Rose, who was slowly giving him a 'what the hell?' look. " It was either that or… hairdressing… so… _voilá!_" He held up the psychic paper in front of the man's nose. He certainly hoped it would say that they were police. Wouldn't _that_ be awkward if it didn't…"

" What are you going to do?" asked a woman, Trish, on the side of the road. She wore a pale blue shirt, which contrasted nicely with her light tan skin. Her arms crossed uncomfortably across her chest and she had a wary look in her eyes.

" The police have knocked on every door—no clues, no leads, nothing!" the old woman interjected.

" Kids run off sometimes, alright? That's what they do," the man dismissed quickly.

" I saw it with me own eyes. Dale Hicks in your garden, playing with your Tommy and then—" she made a gesture with wrinkled hands and made a shocked face, "—right in front of me, like he was never there. There's no need to look further than _this street_. It's right here amongst us."

" Why don't we—" the Doctor began to say, voice reasoning again.

" Why don't we start with _him_?" a newly arrived woman snapped, pointing to the road worker Rose had been speaking with. " There's been all sorts like him in this street, day and night."

" Fixing things up for the Olympics!" he defended himself.

" Yeah, and taking an awful long time about it!" the maroon shirted man spat.

" I'm of the opinion that all we've got to do—" the Doctor tried again, but was cut off.

" What you said right then, that's slander!" the road worker, named Kel, exclaimed, pointing at the woman.  
" I don't care what it is!" she shot back.

" I think we need to just—"

The entire group, exempting the trio of time travelers, began to verbally fight. The mash of loud voices began to wear on their ears, giving Selene's newly arrived headache more force.

" _FINGERS ON LIPS!_" the Doctor shouted, bringing his pointer finger up to his own, pressing them there. His face was stern and commanding and he eyed everyone. Selene raised her finger to her own lips, nodding to everyone to do the same; it was also, in honesty, one of her favorite moments, and lines, in season two. Slowly, one bye one, everyone did as told. Rose, however, had to be given a look from the Time Lord to be prompted to do it. Once it was silent, the Doctor began to speak again. " In the last six days, three of your children have been stolen. Snatched out of thin air, right?"

" Uh, can I?" the old woman softly spoke, bringing her finger off her lips. The Doctor nodded and prompted her to go on. " Look around you. This was a safe street till it came. It's not a _person_. I'll say it if no one else will. Maybe your coppers, maybe your not. I don't care _who_ you are! Can you _please_ help us?"

Trish, who had glanced up at a second floor window in her house, spotted her daughter peering out, a hand pressed to the cold glass. She hurriedly walked back to her door, not bothering to hear what these strangers had to say as a response. Rose noted the girl in the window with curiosity and suspicion. She just… sat there. Her face was blank and here eyes stared at an indiscernible single point. Everyone dropped their fingers from their mouths, excluding Rose, who held her hand to her chin, staring up at the girl in the window.

" We're going to do our best to find out what's happened, alright?" the Doctor agreed with a kind voice, hands sliding into his pockets again. Selene nodded to the houses around them.

" We'll poke around outside, so don't panic if you see us around, yeah? And if we need anything, we'll stop to ask," she told them calmly, expression professional as they began to disperse apprehensively. As soon as they were out of earshot the Doctor grinned down at Selene.

" You could've been a cop!" he exclaimed softly.

" Nah!" Selene scoffed, fixing the sleeve of her jacket, " I would be a crap cop; I'd end up giggling at the precisely wrong moment. Like at a crime scene… Just like Sherlock and Watson. Since it seems the game's afoot, shall we start searching?"

OOOO

After asking a few general questions to the neighbors, the Doctor immediately began to sniff around—literally. He made his way back to the first lawn he'd been inspecting, and was sniffing the air heavily. He crouched down and slowly stood up, brows furrowed, both women watching him curiously. Eventually, Rose asked,

" Want a hanky?"

" Can you smell it?" the Doctor countered, walking around the goal in the yard. Both Rose and Selene inhaled deeply, finally noting the smell. " What does it remind you of?"

" Sort of… metal?" Rose guessed hopefully.

" Mm-hmm!" The Doctor grinned and walked back around them. There was, indeed, a metallic smell clinging to the air; it reminded Selene of the smell of stick soda cans or welded steel… actually, it was more like the sort of smell coins left behind if you held them for too long in your hand. " Let's check out where Danny boy disappeared, shall we?"

The trio set out to a walkway between all the back yards, which were all fenced off with high wooden fences. The Doctor led the way with Selene immediately behind him and Rose behind her. He was surveying the area, explaining what he'd learned.

" Danny Edwards cycled in one end but never came out the other. _Whoa,_ there it goes again!" The Doctor halted movement and held out his hand, staring at it. " Look at the hairs on the back of my manly, hairy hand." Selene smirked slightly as he tilted said hand towards them.

" Manly, you say?" she teased. He rolled his eyes at her and she giggled quietly as the metallic smell hit their noses again.

" There's that smell again…" Rose muttered.

" Kind of reminds me of a coppery smell—like a penny or a cheap bracelet that turns your skin green," Selene interjected as they continued to walk.

"There's residual energy in the spots where the kids vanished. Whatever it was, it used an awful lot of power to do this," the Doctor told his companions, glancing back at where they'd just been standing. They began to navigate their way from the back walkways, stepping on uneven step stones and letting the grass brush the sides of their shoes—well, Selene was letting the blades graze her ankles, which made them itch slightly in the chilly air. Did it _have_ to be so cold? Wasn't summer _supposed_ to be warm? Or was this the summer weather in England? She certainly hoped not, but at least the sun was warm on her face—

Gravity suddenly propelled her forward with a jolt, which interrupted her thoughts on weather; she tripped over a cracked flagstone, which was why she was now looking at a lopsided world.

" Whoa-ho-ho!" the Doctor exclaimed, snagging an arm around her waist and holding her up so she didn't crash to the ground. Selene gasped and gripped onto his woolen coat sleeve, staring at the ground in shock. Thank God the Doctor had good reflexes; otherwise, she'd be scraped and bruised. " How is it that when you _walk_ you trip over almost everything—or nothing—but when you _run_, you don't?" He sounded honestly curious. And it was true; Selene tended to trip over everything and anything, including air, but when she found she was running for dear life, her feet decided to cooperate.

" Uh… not sure, but thank you for catching me," she told him, still tilted towards the ground, the Doctor's hands holding her waist and fisting in her jacket. She looked up at him, an awkward silence ensuing as they looked at each other for a moment. " You can stand me up straight now.

" Oh, right, sorry."

He helped her regain her balance and let her go, allowing Selene to fix the wrinkles he'd caused. Rose, who tried not to feel a twinge of jealousy at the scene that had taken place before her, cleared her throat slightly and pushed between the two. She exited the alley and nodded to the street.

" We better get going, yeah? The longer we wait around, the worse this situation might get," she said. The Doctor stepped out first and Rose jumped into step behind him, tucking hair behind her ear. The trio began to cross a lawn, where a beautiful orange cat slowly strutted. " Aren't you a beautiful boy?" She grinned and bent over to pet the animal, not noticing the Doctor's grin.

" Thanks! I've been experimenting with back-combing," he said happily, believing she'd been talking about him. His face fell as he spotted the cat. " Oh." As Rose continued to coo at the cat, the Doctor gave it a distrustful and distasteful look.

" What?" Rose asked.

" No, I'm not really a… cat person. Once you've been threatened by one in a nun's wimple, it kind of takes the joy out of it…"

Rose ignored his statement and began to follow the cat as it headed towards a brown cardboard box. Selene laughed quietly and bumped the Time Lord's shoulder to get his attention.

" If it means anything, I think you look great," Selene told him with a grin. She reached out and tugged on the collar of his relaxed cotton shirt; it was a deep blue and had a set of four or so buttons on the very top, all of which were undone. " I like the new shirt." The Doctor looked down at it and chuckled a bit, lips spreading in a smile.

" Why thank you. You look rather nice today too!" He nodded to her dress, which made her return the smile.

Rose watched as the cat entered the cardboard box… and then nothing. It didn't come back out, the box didn't shake; there was only a distant meow and nothing more. Cautiously, she crouched down and peered into the box, noting that it was completely empty.

" Doctor!" she said urgently, gesturing the two over. As soon as they were a foot away, they all got a large whiff of the strongest metallic smell they'd come across so far. It smelled like hundreds of pennies…

" Whoa! Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!" The Doctor grinned and picked up the cardboard box as Selene held a hand under her hose; the smell was starting to get a bit nauseating. " Iron residue! Blimey! Hoo! That takes _some_ doing. Just to snatch a living organism out of space-time. This baby is just like 'I'm having some of that!'" The Doctor sounded and looked incredibly excited, while Rose looked confused and worried and Selene was taking a look at all the windows. She could just see that little girl's figure at the window… " I'm impressed."

" So… the cat's been transported?" Rose inquired.

" It can harness _huge_ reserves of ionic power. We need to find the source of that power." He began to turn around, surveying the houses. " Find the source and you will find… whatever has taken to stealing children and fluffy animals. See what you can see," he said, lightly smacking Roses arm and teasingly wiggling his fingers at her. " Keep 'em peeled, Lewis! Selene, stay with her, we'll meet up again soon, alright?"

The Doctor jogged off and Selene rubbed her temples again, her headache slowly and steadily getting worse. Glancing at Rose's confused face, she remembered what had come back to her head earlier… She vaguely pointed towards the direction the TARDIS was in.

" I'm, uh, gonna go back to the TARDIS to find some pain killers… I'll catch up soon though, 'kay?" the American said, slowly taking her leave down the street. Rose looked up as her friend left, feeling just that bit more confused.

" Yeah, 'course," she murmured, watching as Selene placed a hand on her hip and lifted the other to rub her forehead. She hoped that it didn't have anything to do with the headaches she'd had a while back—'cause that could mean she had a concussion or something.

Rose eventually found herself walking down a large brick-paved parking area; it was quiet, just like the rest of the neighborhood. She was surrounded by brick houses and normal, suburban cars. The only thing that jumped out as abnormal, was a loud crashing sound from one of the garages. Slowly turning and walking towards said garage, a thought came to her head; what if it was the cat? What if that poor cat was trapped inside?

" Is that you, puss-cat? Are you trapped?" Rose asked as she neared the door. She leaned in to press her ear against the white surface, but a loud bang made her jump back. She stared at it in surprise, shifting her weight on her feet. So… maybe it _wasn't_ the cat… " Not gonna open it, not gonna open it, not gonna open it…"

Slowly reaching down, Rose twisted the black handle and pulled outwards, raising the door. Just as the door cleared her eat, a static-y sort of noise filled her ears and a… _thing_ flew out at her, knocking her onto the pavement. It was like a blur of movement—no defined shape except maybe a sphere, but it twisted and turned violently as if it couldn't make up its mind on what form to take.

Luckily, the Doctor with his impeccable timing, came running down the street, reaching for the Sonic.

" Stay still!" he shouted, sprinting towards her. He lifted the Sonic and pressed the button, the blue light jumping on. The thing that had been above Rose suddenly shrunk and fell into her cupped hands, leaving her breathless and surprised. Now it just looked like a ball of twisted black spaghetti. Still catching her breath, the Doctor took her hands and pulled her to her feet. " Okey-dokey?"

" Yeah, cheers."

" No prob."

The two embraced tightly, glad the moment of panic was over. Rose clamped her eyes shut and relaxed in the Doctor's embrace; she always felt safe with him. Honestly, who didn't? Pulling back, they turned their eyes to the object in her hand.

" I'll give you a fiver if you can tell me what the hell it is, 'cause I haven't got the foggiest," the Doctor told her, nudging it with the Sonic.

" Well, I can tell you you've just killed it," she replied, still breathless.

" It was never living. It's animated by energy. Same energy that's snatching people." The Doctor tossed the ball into the air and caught it exclaiming, " That is so dinky! The Go-Anywhere creature—it fits in your pocket, makes friends, impresses the boss, breaks the ice at parties." The two laughed for a moment, which made the Doctor realize a third and specific laugh was missing. Looking around in confusion, he turned to Rose. " Where's Selene gone?"

" Oh, uh, she headed back to the TARDIS. Told me she was getting painkillers for a headache that started up. I thought she looked a bit off earlier… Just hope it's nothing serious," Rose mused as they headed back down the street. The Doctor's brows furrowed as he pocketed the ball in his hand.

" Yeah…" he muttered to himself. It was something that set off an alarm bell in his head; Selene hadn't gotten headaches for a good while now. As the two were walking down the street, the Doctor prayed to whatever higher power there was that whatever was happening with Selene, that it wasn't bad.

Back in the TARDIS, Selene was leaning against the console, gulping down a glass of water. She'd tossed back two painkillers that would help with her head and now she was waiting for it to subside. She took the moment she had alone in the console room to notice that it was never silent inside the time machine; there was always a quiet hum that was relaxing and lulling. In fact, it was beginning to help to soften her headache. She smiled up at the ceiling and all the circular lights on the walls. She truly did feel like she was at home inside the TARDIS.

The door creaked open and two sets of footsteps came up the ramp with hastened pace. Slowly turning around, Selene offered a small smile to her two friends.

" Hey, guys," she said, setting her glass on the floor. The Doctor's brow furrowed when his eyes landed on her. He put a hand on her shoulder and searched her face for a good long moment. She looked normal… she sounded normal… that was good. That was _very_ good.

" You feeling alright?" the Doctor asked with concern. Selene smiled at him and patted his hand, hoping to dismiss his worries.

" It's just a stupid headache, it'll go away. The painkillers will help too, but don't worry about me; please, don't." She hopped backwards and fell into the pilot's chair, smiling. " Besides, we have a thing to find don't we?"

Relieved that she was seemingly back to normal, the Doctor grinned and pulled the ball out of his pocket. He tossed it upwards and laughed saying,

" Ah, _yes!_ We've got this and we'll need to figure out what it exactly is now that we've got the TARDIS' technology…"

As the Time Lord busied himself with typing in codes and reading screens, Rose carefully looked at Selene. She was acting how she normally did, but there was something there… the way she was casting both the Doctor and Rose worried glances that clearly said that she wasn't that okay. The Doctor removed his coat and tossed it to Selene, who happily held onto it, the weight comfortable in her arms. The blond stepped towards Selene to ask what was really up, but the Doctor suddenly said,

" Oh, heigh-ho, here we go. Let's have a look." Circular Gallifreyan appeared on the screen before him and he watched as it spun around a moment before stopping and beeping. A small scoff left his lips. " Get out of here." Rose stared at the alien language for a short moment.

" What's it say?" she asked quietly. Selene stood up and stood on the Doctor's other side as he rummaged through his pockets for something. He removed a pencil and lifted the ball. Taking the eraser, he rubbed it against the black swirls… and they disappeared. It was made of graphite.

" It is! It's graphite! Basically the same material as an H.B. pencil."

" I was attacked by a… pencil scribble?"

" Scribble _creature_."

" Well, you can get revenge now; I'm sure you could use it to draw or write… or you could just erase the entire thing," Selene pointed out. The Doctor, lost in his own thoughts, lifted the scribble ball to his nose and sniffed.

" Brought into being with ionic energy. Whatever we're dealing with, it can create things as well as take them. But…" A confused look edged onto his face, " Why make a _scribble_ creature?"

" Well, think about it; if you mess something up and get frustrated you scratch it out, right? And when your upset you just scribble," Selene brought up, shrugging a bit. Well, of course she knew that it was a scribbled mistake… being helpful never seemed to hurt.

" Yeah, like a mistake. Like… a messed up drawing," Rose agreed, pointing to Selene. " Like a-a…" A look of realization crossed her face. "… c_hlid's_ drawing." Selene nodded and Rose directed her eyes to the Doctor. " You said it was in the street."

" Probably."

" The girl."

" Of _course!_" The Doctor jumped once as he spoke through his teeth. Then, he looked at her confused. " What girl?"

" I saw her too, she was sitting in the window of one of the houses," Selene told them, holding the Doctor's coat tighter. Rose shuddered a bit, thinking back at the odd girl.

" Something about her gave me the creeps; even her own mum looked scared of her."

The Doctor crossed his arms and leaned down toward the blond slightly.

" Are you deducting?" he inquired. She quirked a brow and leaned against the console.

" I think I am," she replied.

" Copper's hunch?"

" Permission to follow it up, Sarge."

Selene snorted slightly and rolled her eyes, flicking out the tan overcoat. She held it up so the Doctor could slide his arms through.

" And here we go again," Selene laughed as the Time Lord dawned his coat again.

" Just the three of us, the magnificent three! Off to save the world!" The Doctor grinned and strode to the door, coat tails fluttering out behind him.

OOOO

The trio walked back down the road and eyed each of the houses. The Doctor attempted to place the house the two women had been talking about, but was unable to pull a memory of the mystery child from his head.

" So… which one was it… exactly? They all quite look the same, don't they?" he inquired Selene, noting the exact brickwork and the symmetrical lawns. She stretched to her toes a bit and peered around. A pale finger pointed to a second floor window with curtains drawn.

" That house; that window," she replied, falling back to the flats of her feet.

" How are we exactly gonna approach her mum? If she's already scared she might not be immediately okay asking if we can look around," Rose asked, realizing a flaw in their plan. Selene smirked and skipped a few steps ahead of the other two. She clasped her hands behind her back and walked backwards, nodding to the house.

" Luckily for you both, I know exactly what to do."

_Ding-dong_.

They pressed the doorbell after Selene briefly explained what they should probably do. There was a delay behind the oak door with stained glass, so the Doctor took the small knocker and rapped it a few times. Eventually, Trish slowly opened the door and stared at the three strangers on the doorstep.

" Hello! I'm the Doctor, this is Rose and this is Selene. Can we see your daughter?" the Doctor asked outright with a friendly smile. In fact, the trio all wore friendly smiles directed at her.

" No, you can't," Trish immediately answered, brows furrowing.

" Okay, bye," the Doctor said with a pleasant smile as they all turned on their heels and started to walk away. There was a pause before Trish asked,

" Why? Why do you want to see Chloe?"

They turned back around and the Doctor gave a small shrug.

" Well, there's some interesting stuff going on in this street, and I thought—well, _we_ thought that she might like to give us a hand." He gave another dismissive shrug as Rose lifted a hand.

" Sorry to bother you," she said.

" Yeah, sorry to bother you. We'll let you get on with things…" the Doctor paused before adding on, " All on your own. Bye again."

" Wait!" Trish called out again as the trio stopped at the end of her walkway. Selene smirked at the other two; she told them it would work. They turned back around with patient faces. " Can you help her?"

A smile spread over the Doctor's face.

" Yes, I can," he replied.

" Please. Come in." The woman gestured for the three to step inside, glancing around as if hoping no one was watching. As they stepped inside, they could hear the telly playing news of the Olympic Torch's destination throughout the city. As the Doctor began to shed his coat, Rose took a seat on the comfortable looking couch, eyes trained on the screen. She was watching an event that was going to happen in a couple years to come… she would never get over how amazing that was.

" What can you tell us about your daughter?" Selene asked politely as she shed her own coat as well. The Doctor slipped it off her arm and tossed it beside Rose along with his own. She shot him a smile in thanks, which he returned with a nod and smile of his own. Trish began to wring her hands nervously, thinking of where to start.

" She stays in her room most of the time. I try talking to her, but… it's like trying to speak to a brick wall." Trish stared at her hands sadly; Chloe had never been like that—she used to always smile and laugh and sing… but that was gone now. The trio of strangers watched her with sympathetic but curious eyes; the Doctor had his head tilted back slightly, giving her all of his attention. " She'll give me nothing, just ask to be left alone."

" What about Chloe's dad?" Rose inquired, leaning down to scratch her ankle. Her voice was soft and careful; she knew that subjects like this could be sensitive… she of all people definitely knew that. Trish paused for a moment, raising her eyes to meet the young blonde's.

" Chloe's dad died a year ago."

" I'm sorry…"

Trish scoffed slightly, " You wouldn't be if you'd known him."

Tension seeped into the air and Selene awkwardly scratched the back of her neck, hoping for someone to break the silence. She never dealt well with these sorts of silences… she used to be the one who tried to be the one to break them, but after a couple of failed attempts, she stopped.

" Well!" the Doctor exclaimed, clapping his hands together, " Let's go and say hi!"

" I… should go check on her first. She might be asleep," Trish said after a short pause. The Doctor could hear the reluctance in her voice; that slight little _twinge_ of fear that had been pulling at her brain. The fear regarding Chloe.

" Why are you afraid of her, Trish?" he asked gently, not forcing her to say anything. Trish met his eyes and slowly worked up what to say.

" I want you to know, before you see her, that she's _really_ a great kid." Selene smiled softly at her words; it was a mother's plea. She didn't want her daughter to be like this, she wanted the little girl she'd known back. Who could blame her?

" We're sure she is, Trish," Selene told her, clasping her fingers together. A tired smile pulled onto Trish's face as she nodded.

" She's never been in trouble at school. You should see her report from last year. A's and B's," she told them, truly proud. Rose smiled at that and then suddenly thought of a swift plan. What's the damage in trying to get ahead?

" Can I use your loo?" Rose asked suddenly. Trish nodded and gestured towards the stairs. Rose jumped up and headed towards the stairs not noticing the Doctor following her progress with his eyes; he knew when she had a plan. She got this sort of… look in her eyes and a sort of tone in her voice. He _loved_ it when she came up with plans.

As Rose disappeared through the door, Trish stepped in some more, going on about Chloe.

" She's in the choir. She sings in an old folks' home. Any Mum would be proud."

" And you should be; it takes courage to get up there and sing. It took me _years_ to even try that," Selene told her with a laugh. The Doctor smirked a bit. " She sounds like a lovely child."

" She is… I just want you to know these things before you see her, Doctor," Trish told him, meeting his gaze again. " Because right now… she's not herself. She isn't even sleeping; I don't want anything to happen to her…"

The Doctor's eyes slid sideways to look at Selene, who turned to look at him. He arched his brows slightly and she gave a slight nod; she was silently letting him know it was all correct. It was all true. Trish looked stressed and tired. She wanted it all to be over, she wanted her daughter back. Selene stepped over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

" It'll be alright, Trish. We'll make sure Chloe's okay, yeah? Trust me, if anyone can do it, the Doctor can," Selene comforted with a soothing smile. As Trish was about to say something else, Chloe passed down the hall behind them, heading for the kitchen.

" Is that her?" the Doctor asked.

" Yes," Trish replied, crossing her arms.

" Well then, let's go!"

The three followed her towards the kitchen, where Chloe was looking through the fridge. The Doctor was in the lead, his hands in his trouser pockets.

" All right, there?" Chloe replaced the milk and didn't look at the people behind her. The Doctor sat against the edge of the kitchen table and crossed his arms. " I'm the Doctor, this is my friend Selene."

" Hi," she added in with a smile and a wave, standing beside the Time Lord.

" I'm Chloe Webber," Chloe replied, turning around to face them.

" How you doing, Chloe Webber?" the Doctor asked, immediately noticing something off. The young girl stood with a ram-rod straight back, her shoulders squared and her feet pointing perfectly forward; many people slouched one way or another and stood with a hip jutted out to one side. Her face remained stoic as she looked around as if the two strangers in her kitchen didn't faze her in the least bit.

" I'm busy. I'm making something." She looked at Trish. " Aren't I, Mum?"

" And like I said, she's not been sleeping."

The Doctor's eyes were diverted to the fridge, where a child's drawing was stuck to the door with a magnet.

" You've been drawing, though," he announced, nodding, " I'm _rubbish_, stick men are about my limit. Can you do this though?" The Doctor raised his left hand in a Vulcan salute. Selene grinned; she remembered the first time she'd seen that part—she literally squealed. The Doctor looked over. " Can _you_?" She held up her hand mimicking the famous gesture.

" Live long and prosper," Selene said, looking down to Chloe. It's quite easy to do actually. You should give it a try."

The little girl stared blankly at their hands.

" They don't stop moaning," she suddenly announced.

" _Chloe_," Trish said, hoping to stop her. Unfortunately, it didn't work.

" I tried to help them, but they won't stop moaning."

" Who don't?" the Doctor asked quietly and curiously, dropping his hand.

" We can be together."

" Sweetheart…" Trish whispered, worry and pain on her face. She walked over to take Chloe's face in her hands, but her daughter snapped,

" Don't _touch me_, Mum."

The Doctor and Selene met Trish's eyes, which seemed to say 'I told you something was wrong.'

OOOO

Upstairs, Rose had finally snuck into Chloe's room. After succeeded in knocking some of the girl's pencils over, she went back to looked at the walls, which were covered in dozens upon dozens of drawings. And the creepiest thing was that she swore to God that one of them changed. One minute the drawing of a boy's face had been neutral; she looked away and looked back, and his face was angry, baring his teeth. Something odd was going on. She didn't like it one bit.

A violet rattling came from the closet doors, causing Rose to spin around. Carefully glancing back at the drawings, hoping none of them had moved again, Rose set the pencil cup down and walked to the white painted doors. She took hold of the handles and slowly began to open them, looking into the dark closet. Wind—_wind _of all things—came out of the closet, as if a storm was brewing inside. Rose's mouth fell open in shock when suddenly an orange-red light appeared as she parted the clothes inside.

On the back wall, a large drawing was scrawled out; it was of a furious looking man with burning eyes, which was where the light was emanating from. He was hunched over and looked to be a terrifying, hulking, monstrous man, growling with clenched fists.

" _I'm coming! I'm coming!_" it growled menacingly.

OOOO

" I'm busy, Doctor, Selene," Chloe told the new comers.

" Chloe, we want to see what you're working on! I'm sure it's wicked awesome; I mean, do you see the quality of your work?" Selene grinned at the girl, pointing to the drawings on the fridge, " You've got a future in this! Could you please show us?"

" Yeah, Chloe, don't be a spoilsport!" the Doctor added in as she began to walk away. As she left the kitchen, the Doctor stood up and followed her to the doorframe, watching as she turned to go upstairs. " I'm _dying_ to know! What are you making up there?"

" _Doctor!_" Rose's shout rang out from upstairs, causing the Time Lord's feet to immediately burst into a sprint. His Converse clad feet pounded against the steps as he made his way towards Rose's voice, worry creeping into his mind. Selene and Trish followed almost immediately, Selene's feet carrying her faster.

Rose was staring into the oddly lit closet as the drawing again growled,

" _I'm going to hurt you._"

The Doctor lunged into the doorway, pushing himself through. On instinct—perfectly accurate instinct—he grabbed Rose and hauled her away from the closet, slamming the doors shut.

" Look at it," she insisted.

" No, ta," the Doctor replied with a tense face. As the two shared the quick exchange, Selene moved to look at all the drawings, which, quite frankly, creeped her out; chills ran down her back as she looked at the drawing of the orange tabby cat they'd seen less than an hour before. The Doctor turned and swiftly moved to stand beside her, a serious look etched deeply onto his face.

" Am I right in saying there's something to do with these drawings?" the Doctor asked her quietly, his brows pulling together. Selene nodded as she stared at the faces.

" Yeah. You'd be _very, very_ right…" Selene whispered.

" What the _hell_ was that?!" Trish exclaimed.

" A drawing. The face of a man."

" What face?" Trish lunged for the handle, but Rose blocked it with her hit.

" Yeah, best not." Trish spun to face Chloe.

" What have you been drawing?" she asked urgently. It couldn't be _him_, it just couldn't…

" I drew him yesterday," Chloe replied.

" Who?"

" Dad."

The Doctor pulled on his square framed glasses and picked a drawing up off the desk. He began to examine it, sending a look over his shoulder to the situation behind him. Selene could see his face pulled into one of his more serious thinking modes; his lips were tense and his brow was arched.

" Your dad? But he's _long_ gone. Chloe, with all the lovely things in the world, why _him_?" Trish begged an answer, lips pulling into a frown.

" I dream about him, staring at me," she replied.

" I thought we were putting him behind us! What's the matter with you?"

" We need to stay together."

" Yes, we do," Trish agreed, nodding urgently.

" No. Not you. _Us._ We need to stay together and then we'll be alright," she told her mother, who came and touched her cheeks. Chloe tensed up, trying to shrug the woman off to no avail.

" Trish, the drawings—have you seen what Chloe's drawings can do?" Rose asked, having regained her breath and slowed down her racing heart. Trish's head snapped towards the blond, face tensing.

" Who gave you permission to come into her room? Get out of my house."

" Trish, this is _important,_" Selene said, turning to face the woman. " We just need to speak with Chloe for a minute or two, alright?"

" Tell us about the drawing, Chloe," the Doctor said, setting the piece of colored paper down.

" I don't want to hear _any more_ of this," Trish bit out, glaring at the Doctor over her right shoulder. She wanted them out, she wanted them gone… this was too insane, too outlandish.

" But that drawing of her dad—I heard a voice. He spoke," Rose tried to reason, catching the Doctor's ear.

" He's dead and these—they're kids' pictures! Now get out!"

" Chloe has a power, and I don't know how, but she used it to take Danny Edwards, Dale Hicks. She's using it to snatch the kids."

" _Get out!_"

" Have you seen the drawings move, Trish?" Selene asked distractedly, watching as Chloe turned to look at her, turning her head to the side slightly. The look in her eyes made her nervous, so she diverted her gaze quickly, crossing her arms.

" I haven't seen _anything!_" Trish announced with a disbelieving laugh.

" Yes you have," the Doctor interjected suddenly, " Out of the corner of your eye."

" No!"  
" And you dismissed it because what choice do you have when you see something you can't possibly explain? You dismiss it, right, and if anyone mentions it, you get angry, so it's never spoken of again."

" She's a _child_!" Trish tried to reason, pushing against the Doctor's logic and her own mind. The Doctor had stepped up to her, looking down into her eyes and talking in a hushed but determined voice.

" And you're terrified of her. But there's no one to turn to, 'cause who's gonna believe the things you see out of the corner of your eye?" the Doctor asked, brows arching and pulling together at the same time. " No one." There was a pause. " Except me."

" Who are you?" Trish asked, her resolve breaking completely.

" I'm help."

" Maybe us four should leave Chloe for a moment… go talk downstairs?" Selene suggested, nodding to the door. Trish nodded as Chloe turned back to her desk, pencils in hand. The American woman nervously twisted her hair into a messy bun, feeling her headache beginning to come back. Were her headaches beginning to resist medication now? Maybe she really _did_ have a concussion…

Rubbing her temples, she followed the others out, shutting the door behind them. They adjourned to the kitchen, serious faced and thoughtful. The Doctor bee-lined to the counter and grabbed a jar of marmalade that was sitting atop it. He leaned against the counter and opened the jar, stuck two fingers in and slid them into his mouth. Rose loudly cleared her throat, grabbing his attention. When he met her gaze she gave him a 'what the hell?' sort of look, shaking her head. Moving his eyes to Selene, she pursed her lips before mouthing 'not good…' and nodding towards Trish, who had her arms crossed, watching him closely. He removed his fingers and set the jar down, saying nothing.

" So, the drawings are alive. I kid you not, that's what it is," Selene said, crossing her arms again.

" So, she's drawing people and they're getting pulled into the pictures?" Rose asked for confirmation. Selene nodded saying,

" Just about it."

" Ionic energy," the Doctor specified, " Chloe's harnessing it to steal those kids and place them in some kind of _holding pen_ made up of ionic power."

" And what about the dad from hell in her wardrobe?" Rose asked, arching a brow slightly.

" How many times do I have to tell you? He's _dead,_" Trish reiterated for what felt like the millionth time. Rose looked away muttering,

" Well, he's got a _very_ loud voice for a dead bloke…"

" If living things can become drawings, then maybe drawings can become living things," the Doctor mused seriously, staring into whatever space he looked into while thinking. A shudder racked his body at the thought, causing the women to jump. " Brr! Chloe's real dad is _dead_, but not the one who visits her in her nightmares. That dad seems very real, _that's_ the dad she's drawn…" He directed his eyes to the ceiling before muttering, " And he's a _heartbeat_ away from crashing into this world…"

" She always got the worst of it when he was alive," Trish mentioned sadly, leaning back against the sink. She didn't want to think about this; it was a painful time that was supposed to be over; couldn't the dead just stay _dead?_

" Doctor, how can a _twelve year old girl_ be doing any of this?" Rose asked with disbelief. Normal kids couldn't do this sort of thing. Did she have some sort of mutation? Was there something inside her head making her do it? It just didn't add up.

Selene began to pace in the middle of the kitchen, pulling up whatever useful information her brain was giving her access to. She winced and her brows furrowed as she did so before saying,

" She can't…" The Doctor nodded in agreement as he sucked in a breath.

" Let's go find out."

OOOO

Chloe sat cross-legged on her bed in what would be a normal girl's room had the drawings not been plastered over every square inch of the largest wall. Her face was expressionless as usual, watching as the four adults walked into her room again. Her drawing supply was at her left side, sitting unused on the duvet. The Doctor stopped at the foot of the bed, and Chloe looked up at him, suddenly raising her arm and giving him the Vulcan salute. The Doctor nodded in appreciation, the light from the slowly setting sun hitting his face.

" Nice one," he complimented. She put her hand down just as he slowly sank into a crouch, lightly putting his hands on either side of her face, fingers resting on her temples. He shut his eyes serenely and concentrated; Chloe's eyes rolled backwards and after a moment, the Doctor rose to his feet. He put a hand on the back of her head and lowered her backwards, helping her lie down. " There we go."

" I can't let him—" Trish began, starting to step forward.

" Shh, it's okay. Trust him," Rose whispered, taking her arm.

" It won't hurt her," Selene added softly from Rose's other side. " He's done it to me before. It's _completely_ harmless, I promise you." The Doctor gave a nod in her direction in thanks; as long as Trish stayed slightly calm, this would go fairly smoothly. He backed up and looked at Chloe's relaxed form.

" Now we can talk," he said with a stern edge to his voice.

" **I want Chloe,**" said girl said in a raspy whisper that voiced words that did not belong to her. " **Wake her up. I want Chloe.**"

" Who are you?" the Doctor asked calmly.

" **I want **_**Chloe Webber!**_" she spoke, pounding a fist into the mattress. Trish lifted her hands to her mouth, eyes stinging. What was going on? She didn't understand!

" What've you done to my little girl?" she asked, on the verge of tears.

" Doctor, what is it?" Rose asked, equally as worried. The Doctor ignored her and continued to stare at Chloe, face stern.

" I'm speaking to _you_, the entity that is using this human child. I request parley in compliance of the Shadow Proclamation," the Doctor announced, crossing to the right side of the bed.

" **I don't care about shadows or policies!**"

" So what _do_ you care about?"

" **I want my friends.**" The Doctor crouched down and his voice dropped to a quieter tone.

" You're lonely, I know. Identify yourself."

" **I am one of many. I travel with my brothers and sisters. We take an endless journey—a thousand of your lifetimes. But now I am alone. I **_**hate it!**_" Chloe's face scrunched up in emotion. " **It's not fair! **_**I hate it!**_" Her eyes shot open and the Doctor ordered,

" Name yourself."

" **Isolus.**"

A look of great realization crossed the Doctor's face as he heard the name Isolus. He stared at Chloe and muttered,

" You're Isolus, of course…"

" **Our journey began in the deep realms, when we were a family,**" the Isolus said through Chloe, who began to scribble something on a piece of paper to her right. It looked to be a pinky-orange colored flower, which greatly confused Trish.

" What is it?"

" The Isolus Mother, drifting in deep space," the Doctor explained. " See? She jettisons millions of fledgling spores—her children." He went to stand with the three other women, who were watching Chloe scribble away at her picture. " The Isolus are empathetic beings of intense emotion. When they're cast of from their mother, their empathic link, their need for each other, is what sustains them. They _need _to be together; they _cannot_ be alone."

Selene felt sadness creep into her head again; family is what the Isolus needed, _craved_… missed. Was that how her family was feeling _now?_ Were they worried sick about her after that car accident? Hell, what was even going on back home? Was she missing? Dead? She had a feeling she wouldn't find out. But there was one thing Selene definitely knew; she missed her family. Deny it all she may like, but she was actually beginning to miss the missed phone calls from her parents and the nagging sisterly love from Juliet. And most of all, she didn't want them to worry about her. She was fine. She was an adult now… she can take care of herself and make her decisions, including those of going on journeys through time and space. But even so, she would always—_always_—miss them.

" **Our journey is long.**"

" The Isolus children travel, each inside a pod. They ride the heat and energy of solar tides. And it takes _thousands and thousands_ of years for them to grow up," the Doctor told them with sympathy in his voice. He knew what it was like to be alone…

" Thousands of years just floating through space…" Rose spoke sadly, eyes getting glassy. " Poor things. Don't they go mad from boredom?"

" **We play.**"

" You… play?" she asked, stepping closer to the bed, curious and confused. The Doctor sat by Chloe's head, watching her closely.

" Mm, while they travel, they play a game," the Doctor confirmed, " They use their ionic power to literally create make-believe worlds in which to play."

" In flight entertainment."

" It helps keep them happy. While they're happy, they can feed off each other's love. Without it, they're lost." The Doctor bent his head, casting it into shadow as he looked back at Chloe. His voice turned soft again. " Why did you come to earth?"

" **We were too close**." She moved the first drawing aside and began a new one. It seemed to be a scribbled circle with rays coming out from it.

" That's a solar flare from your sun… Would have made a tidal wave of solar energy that scattered the Isolus pods."

" **Only I fell to earth. My brothers and sisters are left up there, and I cannot reach them. So alone.**" Although Chloe's face was blank, her eyes were sad, tearing up with each word.

" Your pod crashed. Where is it?" the Time Lord asked curiously.

" **My pod was drawn to heat and I was drawn to Chloe Webber. She was like me—alone. She needed me and I her.**" A tear slid down the side of Chloe's face and the Doctor reached out a hand, wiping it away. He left his hand there and kept rubbing his thumb soothingly against her temple.

" You empathized with her. You wanted to be with her because she was alone like you," he concluded sadly, face twisting with emotion.

" **I want my family. It's not fair.**" Everyone in the room was silent; no one could look away no matter how badly they wanted to. Trish was close to tears. This was her child, she didn't want to hear these things coming from her mouth.

" I understand, you want to make a family. But you _can't_ stay in this child. It's _wrong_. You can't steal anymore friends for yourself."

" **I am alone.**"

The closet doors began to bang violently again, causing Trish to gasp in horror.

" _Chloe, I'm going to hurt you,_" the drawing growled again. Chloe began to shake violently, almost as if she was having a seizure. The Doctor tried to think of something. Didn't Trish bring up she had nightmares before?  
" Trish, how do you calm her?" he asked in a steady voice.

" What?" she asked, unable to comprehend words at the moment.

" Whenever Chloe has a nightmare, you must calm her down somehow. How do you do it?" Selene interjected, voice shaky.

" I sing to her."

" Then start singing," the Doctor told her, standing up for Trish to take his place. She knelt by the bed as the Doctor stepped away. She stroked Chloe's forehead and began to sing, voice trembling.

" _Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree, merry, merry king of the bush is he. Laugh, kookaburra, laugh, kookaburra, gay your life must be…_"

The rattling stopped. The drawing became silent.

"_Laugh, kookaburra, laugh, kookaburra, gay your life must be…_" Chloe shut her eyes and rolled towards her mother, seeking warmth and comfort. Trish felt tears sliding down her cheeks. " He came to her because she was lonely. Chloe I'm sorry!" She hugged her daughter tightly and buried her face in her shoulder.

" We'll step out for a moment…" Rose murmured, stepping out of the room, not waiting for the Doctor or Selene to follow.

As they headed towards the stairs, the Doctor looked back at Selene, who had been uncharacteristically quiet; usually she jumped in with some comment about _something_—good or bad—and tried to help. But she'd been put off, she'd been quieter than she had been since the whole Hal adventure. When the Time Lord looked at her once they reached the living room, he paused. There were tears on her cheeks. The trails they left were glittering in the light coming in from the windows, making them stand out.

" Selene are you alright?" he asked slowly, placing a hand on her shoulder. Selene's dazed eyes slowly moved to his and she arched her brows.

" Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

" Then why have you been crying?" Rose suddenly asked, noting the tear stains as well. Selene's hand shot up to her cheek and she felt the wetness. Had she really been crying? How had she not noticed that? Wiping furiously at her cheeks, she refused to meet their eyes.

" Just a bit… emotional from all that. You know… missing family and what not," she said, putting a poor excuse for a laugh at the end, as if hoping it may dismiss the truth of it. The Doctor and Rose exchanged a look; she hadn't brought up her family since they dropped into the alternate universe. In fact, she seemed to avoid the topic of her family ever since then.

" Do you want to go back to the TARDIS for a lay down?" Rose suggested kindly, genuinely worried for her friend. Selene swiftly shook her head, clearing her throat, which felt thick as if it were coated in syrup. She sat down on the couch and sniffed, wiping at her flushed cheeks some more.

" No, no, I'll be fine. Just a, uh… bit of a moment. I'm fine I promise."

The Doctor looked less than convinced, especially since she'd been acting odd since she got the headache earlier, but let it slide when Trish walked into the room stiffly.

" Trish, perhaps we should take away the pencils, yeah?" the Doctor suddenly suggested. She held up a handful that she'd already taken from Chloe's room.

" Chloe usually got the brunt of his temper when he had a drink. The day he crashed the car, I thought we were free. I thought it was over," Trish admitted as she and Rose began to pick up the pencils.

" Did you talk to her about it?" Rose asked.

" I didn't want to."

" Well… maybe _that's_ why Chloe feels so alone… 'Cause she has all these terrible dreams about her dad, but she can't talk to you about them."

" Her and the Isolus. Two lonely kids who need each other." The Doctor's face was drawn into a sad expression from both the Isolus situation and the sadness Selene had been hiding.

" It's not gonna stop, is it, Doctor?" Rose asked, sitting beside Selene, " Just keep pulling kids in."

" It's _desperate_ to be loved. It's used to a pretty big family."

" How big?"

The Doctor sucked in a long breath.

" Say around… four billion."

" Well, we obviously don't have that many people in the neighborhood," Trish interjected, nervously twisting the pencils in her hand. " Could it stop because of that?" The Doctor shook his head, grabbing his and Selene's coats.

" No, it'll find a way. We'll be back as soon as possible, alright?" the Doctor said as Selene dawned her coat. Trish nodded as the trio left her house. " We need that pod." He pulled on his coat, thinking about what he could do to find it.

" It crashed, won't it be destroyed?" Rose asked.

" Not necessarily; it could have hit a bush. Or a tree. Maybe a… truck of pillows," Selene said, the last bit a tad sarcastic.

" Well, it's been sucking in all the heat it can; hopefully that'll keep it in a fit state to launch," the Doctor told them. " It should be close. It should have a weak energy signature that the TARDIS can trace… Once we find it, then we can stop the Isolus."

Unbeknownst to the time travelers, as they took their leave down the street, a certain little girl was eying the peculiar man in the tan jacket and the sad woman in the pink dress.

" We can scan from the same trace I found from the scribble creature. Just need to widen the field a bit," the Doctor said as they entered the TARDIS. Chloe, who snuck from the house, watched as they slipped into the blue police call box, knowing what she was going to do.

OOOO

" You knew the Isolus was lonely before it told you. How?" Rose inquired as the Doctor was assembling a new device.

" I know what it's like to travel a long way on your own," he replied, bumping her off the pilot's chair. He took a seat and then looked up to her hands; he'd employed her to hold pieces that he'd need. " Give me the stina magnetic, um…" He nodded towards the right. " The thing in your left hand."

" It sounds like you're on its side."

" I sympathize, that's all," he muttered as she slid the part in place.

" The Isolus has caused a lot of pain for these people," Rose countered.

" It's a child." The Doctor blew some dust of the device he was making. " That's why it went to Chloe. Two lonely, mixed-up kids."

" Hmm… feels to me like a temper tantrum because it can't get its own way…"

" Come on, you were a kid once! Binary dot," the Doctor implored, taking the next piece for the device.

" Yes, and I know what kids can be like! Right little… terrors." Rose fought for the right word at the end, biting her tongue a bit.

" But they're also adorable," Selene added in as she leaned against the console after taking a walk around the TARDIS to cool off. The two glanced at her and she rolled her eyes. " I'm not a porcelain doll, you can talk to me; I'm fine."

" We know, we just care about you," the Doctor told her, not looking up from his work. He lifted a hand up to Rose. " Gum." She awkwardly spat the wad out into his hand and continued to speak.

" I've got cousins. Kids can't have it all their own way. That's part of being a family," she retorted, reverting back to the previous conversation.

" What about trying to understand them?" the Doctor countered. Rose scoffed and looked towards Selene, smirking.

" Easy for you to say, you don't have kids."

" I was a dad once," he said casually, fixing the last bit of his device. Rose's head snapped towards him.

" What did you say?" she asked in shock. She sounded hurt as well—if this was true, why hadn't he ever said anything? Selene sighed internally and rubbed her temples again.

_Oh, he should learn to think before he speaks… here we go…_ she thought to herself.

" I think we're there! Fear, loneliness, they're the big ones, Rose." The Doctor ignored her statement—Selene thought he didn't even register it. He began to fiddle with something on the console as he said, " Some of the most terrible acts ever committed have been inspired by them. We're not dealing with something that wants to… conquer or destroy, there's a lot of things you need to get across this universe—warp drive… wormhole refractors. You know the thing you need most of all? You need a hand to hold." The Doctor looked down to see Rose's hand, which was loosely pointing. He grinned and grabbed it, which caused her to snicker despite her confusion.

" No look, I'm _pointing_." He looked at the screen she was referring to and he grinned.

" It's the pod! It's in the street! Not exactly a truck of pillows…" He smirked at Selene who shot him a small smile. " Everything's coming up doctor!"

The trio stepped out of the TARDIS, Rose first, Selene second and the Doctor last. Selene was staring at a small photograph in hand; it was her family. It had been taken a little over a year ago on Boston Common. They were all grinning in the sun, enjoying the summer's day. God, what were they thinking now…

" It's two inches across, dull grey, like a gull's egg, very light," the Doctor told his companions.

" So, these pods, they travel from sun to sun, using heat, yeah, so it's not all about love and stuff. Doesn't the pod just need heat?"

_SMASH!_

Both women spun around to see the Doctor's new device shattered on the ground and him nowhere to be seen—in fact, the TARDIS was gone as well. Selene groaned and slapped a hand to her forehead.

" Oh, _shit_ I forgot about this!" she growled to herself. How could she forget? _How?_ She was beating herself up more and more today…

" Doctor! Wait, what do you mean you forgot? Forgot about what?" Rose asked urgently, glancing around for the Time Lord. Selene grabbed Rose's shoulder, picture still in hand.

" It's Chloe, Rose! She's drawn him and TARDIS, she's gotten him."

" We have to get over there. We have to find the pod!"

" Let's go!"

As the two took off down the street, they didn't speak a word. That is, till Rose suddenly thought to ask Selene about the pod's location; she'd know, right? She knew what would happen.

" Selene, where's the pod crashed? We can just cut a few corners this time, right?" No response. " Selene, I think this is a case where we can just disobey the rules, yeah?" Nothing again. Turning, Rose saw… no one. " Selene! Come on, this isn't funny!"

Something skittered across the ground. Bending over, Rose snatched up a picture. Four people sat on a checkered blanket, smiling happily. Our of the four, one face was familiar. It was _Selene_. She looked a bit younger and had an arm looped around the neck of a slightly older woman, who shared a slight facial resemblance. It was her family. She'd been carrying something in her hand… why would she have just dropped this? Oh no…

Rose sprinted to the Webber household and banged on the door urgently. The moment Trish opened the door, Rose headed for the stairs.

" It's okay, I've taken all the pencils off her!" she called after the younger woman.

Rose ran into Chloe's room, where she was still hunched over her desk, drawing. She marched over and snatched the yellow paper away.

" **Leave me alone!**"

Rose barely heard what the Isolus had said. On the page was what she was afraid of; the TARDIS was drawn on the far right and right beside it, a smiling picture of the Doctor stood, hands in his pockets, grinning out at them. Standing beside him was a drawn representation of Selene, smiling at the Doctor, arms hidden behind her back. They were gone. The Isolus had gotten them…

What was Rose going to do?

OOOO

The last thing Selene had remembered was jogging down the road then… nothing. Everything went black for a moment and she suddenly found herself stiff and unable to move. She faintly was able to realize what had happened; Chloe had drawn _her_ as well. She was a drawing.

It was an odd feeling. She couldn't move and it felt like she wasn't breathing… but she wasn't dead. Everything stationary around her—her vision was blurred but it was like she was living inside a picture; she saw the scribbled representation of the Doctor as stone still as she was and from the corner of her eye… she saw the real world. But it looked as if she were looking at it through a tiny picture frame. Her lips were stuck in a smile, her arms were tightly in place behind her back. How the hell was she going to get out of this?

Suddenly, it was like a weight lifted off her chest; it was like she could gasp in a breath and move, but suddenly, that feeling stopped again. Wait… the drawings could move once no one was looking at them! _That_ had been the feeling of freedom to move. Faintly, she heard someone speak…

" _Doctor, Selene, if you can hear me, I'm gonna find that pod…_" It was Rose's voice.

After another moment, the swelling feeling of exhilaration came over her again, and she decided to focus on her arm. It felt like her joints popped but she was able to move it round to her side. The thing was, she had no idea how long that took her; time seemed to be a foreign concept, just like when the Wire sucked her face into the television. Something wrapped around her upper arm; something that felt dimly like a hand. The _Doctor's_ sketched out hand.

" _I'm not being funny or nothing, but that picture just __**moved**__,_" came a male voice, similar to that of the road worker. Right, right, _right!_ Selene finally remembered that concept again; the Doctor's drawing pointed out that the pod had to be carried in the Olympic torch. She shifted her arm to point to the right, still smiling. " _And that one!_"

The weighted feeling returned for a good while again. Selene's world was again frozen in drawing-land. The quiet was unbearable, the _loneliness_ was becoming tangible… then suddenly… everything went black again… everything dulled and then—

Selene tripped over her own foot and fell to the pavement, clumsily catching herself with her hands. She gasped in a breath as the breeze stroked her face; she was back! She wasn't trapped in the drawing anymore! A grin slid across her face and she rolled onto her back, right in the middle of the street. She was laughing and feeling the cold pavement beneath her. She _had_ to stop getting sucked into weird situations—literally sucked into them… The American time traveler felt as though she could just lay on the pavement in the setting sun forever, just admiring how good and real the actual world was.

But then someone seized both of her hands and she was hauled into a standing position. Before she could figure out who helped her up, a pair of arms wrapped around her and lifted her off the ground in a hug. Well, it was no denying it was the Doctor, especially since his woolen jacket scratched her cheek. The Time Lord was grinning and laughing just like she was as she returned the embrace.

" Good show!" he told her, setting Selene back on her feet. His teeth were bared in a bright grin, which added to the joyous atmosphere around them. She laughed and punched his arm slightly, rolling her eyes.

" Yeah, well, you're the one who drew the torch… while being a drawing yourself," she commended as they stood in the middle of the street. The sun was creeping ever so slowly below the horizon, dimming the light into a cool blue instead of a warm orange. Suddenly, a collective gasp came from the crowd gathered around the street. Another memory came to light in Selene's head.

Grabbing his shoulders, Selene spun the Doctor around and pushed his back to make him walk forward.

" Obviously Rose got the Isolus pod into the torch; unfortunately, the runner's got a cramp and there's only _one man_ who can _possibly_ save the day!" She pushed him into the crowd, savoring the flattered grin he sent her.

OOOO

Rose, the road worker Kel, Trish and Chloe, after dispelling the living drawing of Chloe's father, were all watching the progress of the torch. Things looked grim; the runner was exhausted and had collapsed to the ground, torch falling to the street.

But… there was hope. A man in tan jacket with long tails jogged up, snatched the torch, and continued the run, grinning like the spiky-haired hero he was. The Doctor held the torch high, prepared to run all the way back to the stadium.

" _There's a mystery man! He's picked up the flame. We've no idea who he is,_" said the announcer, voice disbelieving. " _Uh… He's carrying the flame. Yes, he's carrying the flame and no one wants to stop him. And, um, it's more than a flame now, Bob. It's more than heat and light; it's hope and it's courage and it's love._"

The door flew open and Selene jogged into the living room, hair loose and smiling.

" Did I miss it?" she asked as she caught her breath, watching the telly as the Doctor jogged up the steps.

" Oh thank _God _you're alright!" Rose exclaimed, yanking Selene into a hug. The two held their embrace as they watched the Doctor run the torch the final length…

OOOO

The Doctor felt exhilarated. The spotlight was on him as he stopped by the metal cauldron to stare out at the masses of people watching him.

" _Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!_" he whooped, unable to stop grinning. He turned and lit the gas, grinning as it ignited, the warmth hitting his face. " Go on. Join your brother's and sisters. They'll be waiting!"

The fire spread upwards to the main cauldron and lit the Olympic flame, which sent the Isolus pod whizzing upwards and back into space.

OOOO

Rose and Selene happily spent the time waiting for the Doctor to get back by getting him a treat he would love. They gave pleasantries to those they passed on the busy sidewalk, finally excusing themselves as a familiar figure strode down the street casually. The two stepped up behind him and Rose extended a hand.

" Cake?" she asked, holding a small piece of cake with edible ball bearings on top of white frosting. The trio suddenly burst out laughing as he accepted the cake saying,

" Top banana!" He bit into it and the edible crack of the sugar balls could be heard as he smiled. " I can't stress this enough. Ball bearings you can eat—masterpiece!"

Rose yanked him into a hug, standing on her toes to do so properly.

" Oh! I thought I'd lost you!" she told him, voice muffled by his shoulder. Selene diverted her eyes, feeling as thought the moment were private; she felt like a third wheel enough as it was…

" Nah! Not on a night like this!" the Doctor dismissed, pulling away. " This is a night of lost things being found." He nodded down towards the TARDIS' direction. " Come on."

" What now?"

" I want to go to the games! What we came for."

" Go on, give us a clue; what events to we do well in? I bet you Selene would be _great_ at gymnastics." Selene barked a loud laugh, shaking her head.

" Me? I trip over nothing, I don't think I could balance on a balance-beam!" she laughed. The Doctor chuckled.

" Well, I will tell you this—Papua New Guinea surprises everyone in the shot put."

" _Really?_ You're joking, aren't you?" Rose asked in shock. She laughed and pointed at the Time Lord. " Doctor, are you joking or are you serious?"

" Wait and see!"

Fireworks exploded overhead and the trio slowed down to watch. Rose gently slid her hand into the Doctor's and intertwined their fingers. As Selene was about to drift off to the side slightly, the Doctor looped his arm around hers, smiling. She returned it and drifted more towards him, happy to feel the warmth coming off of him.

" You know what, they keep trying to split us up. All of us up. But they never ever will," Rose said thoughtfully. Her words made something heavy drop in Selene's stomach. She knew that wasn't true… Oh, God, that wasn't true…

" Never say 'never ever,'" the Doctor told Rose as they all ceased walking.

" Nah, we'll always be okay, you and me." There was a short pause before Rose hastily added, " and Selene too, of course." When the Doctor said nothing and just stared at the fireworks, Rose nudged his shoulder. " Don't you reckon, Doctor?"

" Something in the air… something's coming…" he whispered.

" What?"

" A storm's approaching…"

OOOO

After a good long night of the opening ceremonies, trying to forget about the 'approaching storm' the trio were back in the TARDIS for a good night's rest. As Selene was about to turn into her room, the Doctor caught her by the elbow. She stopped and turned around, leaning against the wall by her door.

" Yeah?" she asked, sounding tired. The Doctor leaned against the wall as well and held up a picture; the picture she had dropped earlier that day. Slowly, she reached out and took the picture of her family, lowering her eyes to look at it. The Doctor watched as her face dropped in the slightest. There would always be a part of every person he knew that was a mystery… and why Selene decided to hide her feelings all the time was the greatest mystery about her.

" It's obvious you miss them," he told her, clearing his throat. " But, Selene, you should understand something; you don't have to hide your feelings from me. Or from Rose. We're your friends. We're your family too—we can help you with whatever you go through, alright? If you ever need something just… say something, yeah?"

Selene watched as the Doctor searched her face with sympathetic brown eyes. She smiled at him and nodded, pulling him into one last hug for the night.

" Yeah, I know. Thanks. Good night, Doctor." The Doctor smiled returned the hug before letting her step into her room.

" Good night, Selene."

OOOO

_**Rose, blond hair messy and eyes tearing up quickly, looked up at the man standing in front of her. The ocean battered the sand and the wind was bitter and stinging.**_

_** " How long have we got?" Rose asked, beginning to cry. **_

_** " About two minutes," the Doctor replied, trying to keep calm and sober. But it was so hard to when she was like this… when she was so sad… **_

_** Rose lifted a hand and rubbed her forehead, a bitter smile crossing her lips.**_

_** " I can't think of what to say!" **_

_** Both laughed humorlessly for a moment, looking away from each other's gaze. How did it all come to this? Why did it **__**have**__** to come to this?**_

_** " You've still got Mr. Mickey then?"**_

_** " There's five of us now—Mum, Dad, Mickey… and the baby."**_

_** The Doctor's brows rose slowly and his face immediately cleared of any emotion. The baby? His brows began to pull together. He forced his eyes to stay on her face as he quietly asked,**_

_** " You're not…" **_

_** " No," Rose laughed. " It's Mum."**_

_** The dream crackled and faded out for a moment, any audio cutting out completely. All that was left to see were tears rolling down flushed cheeks and heart breaking faces everywhere… the sadness was overwhelming… everything was going wrong…**_

Selene's eyes flew open, and the moment they did, hot, salty tears rolled down the sides of her face. Her breathing was quick and her facial muscles hurt as if she'd been crying through the night. Sitting up quicker than ever, her shaking hands scrambled to turn on the bedside lamp, which then gave of a soothing glow to the room. Shaky fingers wove through tangled strands of brown hair; Selene knew what was coming next all too soon.

The Army of Ghosts. Doomsday.

Rose's goodbye.

She didn't know how she could handle it; Rose was like a sister to her now. She couldn't just _lie_ to their faces and say she didn't know what was coming. That would be betrayal, that would be… what had to be done. Tell them that and the universe would most likely unravel before their unsuspecting eyes. Burying her face in her comforter covered knees, Selene sucked in a breath, face hot, back rising and falling.

She had to do _something_. She couldn't do _nothing_. She'd try to help, try to stop it from happening…

She would thing of something.

_**Afterword:**__** WELL… sorry about the late updates. This chapter has been three weeks in the making. It's my last week of actual classes—finals next week—so that means… SUMMER. And THAT means that I get to write a crap-load more! YES. We're closing in on the season finale, which I've had plans for since I wrote the first sentence of the first chapter of this story. * key smash * the FEELS…**_

_** Anyway, sorry if the quality of this chapter is off, I've been wicked stressed about making up work before the school year is out. This chapter is just the start of the feels, guys… I'm listening to Mumford and Sons to help me… I recommend them for any emotion-filled day. They're a great band.**_

_**REVIEW REPLIES!**_

**grapejuice101:**_ I'm glad you liked it! Thanks again for helping me out with this chapter; especially the picture idea, that worked out really well! Thanks again and hope you enjoyed!_

**Fionn Rose:**_ I'm glad you liked the chapter so much! I had the most fun coming up what to write for it! I'm DEFINITELY bringin Hal back… there's no way that could be his ONLY appearance! Hope you keep on reading! Thanks again!_

**Ginga no Yousei:**_ I'm glad you liked it! Thanks again!_

**The Yoshinator:**_ I plan on making the jealousy towards Hal keep coming up; like every time someone brings him up, the Doctor tries to steer the conversation away from him. I still really wanna use the videogame idea! It's really good! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!_

** :**_ I swear to God that if Selene wasn't bound to fall for the Doctor, she would totally fall for Hal—who wouldn't? XD Third-wheeling is always so awkward… poor Selene XD But I'm glad you like the story so far! I hope you keep on reading! Thanks again!_

**Guest:**_ Sherlock is close to the top on next to update! I just gotta type it out, let my friend edit it and it'll be posted soon! Hope you enjoyed! Thanks again!_

**dream lighting:**_ Yeah, Hal had a thing for her XD He will NEVER forget about her! And the Doctor is a tad blind at this point, isn't he? We'll see how much longer THAT lasts… Hope you enjoyed! Thanks again!_

**TARDISbluecolour:**_ I'd love to have Selene and Hal have their own story; like, what if the Doctor and Rose got even MORE lost and Selene had to spend more time with him? I've considered it… literally, I have XD I'm glad you like it so far! Hope you keep reading! Thanks again!_

**theladyofthelost:**_ Tom Hiddleston, I just… * takes a moment to fangirl, returns to key board * He's one of my top favorite actors. I'm glad you liked the chapter! Thanks again!_

**ShadowTeir:**_ Me? XD_

**KatieTheBaka:**_ Jealous Doctor is always fun XD Hope you enjoyed and thanks again!_

**E-man-dy-S:**_ I enjoyed the necklace idea—I came up with it in class and worked so hard not to jump to grab my ideas notebook and scribble it down… XD Which failed miserably, and I did that anyway. Jealous Doctor is jealous, yes XD I'm glad you enjoyed it! Hope you keep on reading! Thanks again!_

_**And thank you to those who have added this to favorites/story alert, it keeps my morale up! Lova ya all!**_

_** So that's it for this chapter! WAIT FOR SURPRISES IN DOOMSDAY. They're a tad confusing, but they're interesting none the less! In other news—back to music…-I was listening to Awake My Soul by Mumford and Sons, and I swear to God it could be one of the Doctor's themes. One of the lines is:**_

'_**Lend me you hand and conquer them all, but lend me your heart and I'll just let you fall.'**_

_** Does that not fit perfectly? He's so afraid of letting himself care for others because he's worried he'll loose them! I just… I just wanna cuddle him! **_

_** Well, thanks again for taking the time to read! I took a good while to update this also because I got a few flame-y reviews on another story that sort of brought me down for a few days—but what can ya do? Everyone has their own opinion. So, anyway, let me know what you think! Thanks again you guys! Love ya all, you're all awesome!**_

_**~Mary**_


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